Quack

/kwæk/ · noun

Meaning

The vocalisation made by a duck..

Definitions by Sense

1. The vocalisation made by a duck.
2. Of a duck, to make its characteristic vocalisation.
3. To make a sound similar to the quack of a duck.
4. (intransitive) Of a queen bee: to make a high-pitched sound during certain stages of development.
5. A duck's quack.
6. (derogatory) A fraudulent healer, especially a bombastic peddler in worthless treatments, a doctor who makes false diagnoses for monetary benefit, or an untrained or poorly trained doctor who uses fraudulent credentials to attract patients
7. (figuratively, derogatory) Any similar charlatan or incompetent professional.
8. (humorous slang, mildly derogatory) Any doctor.

Example Sentences

Did you hear that duck make a quack?

Twice a day she took them out to feed in the marshy places, let them waddle and gobble for an hour or two, and then drove them back and shut them up in a small dark shed to digest their meal, whence they gave forth occasionally a melancholy quack.

The more breadcrumbs I threw on the ground, the more they quacked.

Do you hear the ducks quack?

That doctor is nothing but a lousy quack!

1662, Rump: or an Exact Collection of the Choycest Poems and Songs Relating to Late Times, Vol. II, by ‘the most Eminent Wits’ Tis hard to say, how much these Arse-wormes do urge us, We now need no Quack but these Jacks for to purge us, …

Polly (to security guard, referring to Dr. Feingarten): Are you going to let that shyster in there? Dr. Feingarten: I could sue you, Polly. A shyster is a disreputable lawyer. I'm a quack.

After ſome Months, the Quack gets privately to Town, [...]

Synonyms for quack

Antonyms for quack

Related Words

Word Forms

• quacks
• quaake
• quacking
• quacked
• more quack
• quacker
• most quack
• quackest

Usage Notes

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