What does "dodge" mean?
An act of dodging.
Dodge
/dɒd͡ʒ/ adj, name, noun, verb, slang
adj, name, noun, verb, slang ·Very common ·Middle school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: An act of dodging.
- Grammar: dodge is listed as adj, name, noun, verb, slang.
- Nearest alternatives: abandoning, about the bush, action, ad hoc measure.
- Useful contrasts: accept, address, answer.
- Usage evidence: Don't dodge the issue, I want you to answer my question.
How to use "dodge"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "dodge" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "dodge" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "dodge" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "dodge" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "dodge" is acting as adj, name, noun, verb, slang in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "abandoning" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.
Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "dodge", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Noun
- 1 An act of dodging.
- 2 a quick evasive movement wordnet
- 3 A trick, evasion or wile. (Now mainly in the expression tax dodge.)
"The dodges of women beat all comprehension; and I am sure she wouldn’t let the lad off so easily, if she had not some other scheme on hand."
- 4 an elaborate or deceitful scheme contrived to deceive or evade wordnet
- 5 A line of work. slang
"In the marketing dodge, that is known as rub-off."
Show 1 more definition
- 6 a statement that evades the question by cleverness or trickery wordnet
Verb
- 1 To avoid (something) by moving suddenly out of the way. ambitransitive
"He dodged traffic crossing the street."
- 2 avoid or try to avoid fulfilling, answering, or performing (duties, questions, or issues) wordnet
- 3 To avoid; to sidestep. figuratively, transitive
"The politician dodged the question with a meaningless reply."
- 4 make a sudden movement in a new direction so as to avoid wordnet
- 5 To elude. transitive
"“We must follow after this dreadnought, hard on her tracks. She shall not dodge me though she hide in unfathomed waters, or in the earth's bosom, or in lonely woods, or on crags!”"
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- 6 move to and fro or from place to place usually in an irregular course wordnet
- 7 To go, or cause to go, hither and thither. ambitransitive, archaic
"Or if a footpad asks him for his money, what need he care provided he has an umbrella? He threatens to dodge the ferrule into the ruffian’s eye, and the fellow starts back and says, “Lord, sir! I meant no harm. […]"
- 8 To make an area of an image lighter (when processing photographs in a darkroom, this is accomplished by decreasing the exposure of that area to light).
- 9 To follow by dodging, or suddenly shifting from place to place. transitive
""I had a notion he was dodging me all the way I came, for I saw him just behind me, turn which way I would.""
- 10 To trick somebody. ambitransitive, dated
Adjective
- 1 Dodgy. Australia, British, colloquial
Proper Noun
- 1 A surname originating as a patronymic. US, countable
- 2 A placename; A village in Nebraska. countable, uncountable
- 3 A placename; A city and village in North Dakota. countable, uncountable
- 4 A placename; A census-designated place in Oklahoma. countable, uncountable
- 5 A placename; A town in Wisconsin. countable, uncountable
Show 1 more definition
- 6 A brand of motor vehicle. countable, uncountable
Synonyms
All synonymsExample
"Don't dodge the issue, I want you to answer my question."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "dodge"?
Common synonyms include: abandoning, about the bush, action, ad hoc measure, ambiguity, answer.
How do you use "dodge" in a sentence?
Don't dodge the issue, I want you to answer my question.
How do you pronounce "dodge"?
Pronounced /dɒd͡ʒ/.
Etymology
Etymology 1
Likely from dialectal dodge, dod, dodd (“to jog, trudge along, totter", also "to jerk, jig”), of uncertain origin. Perhaps from unrecorded Middle English *dodden, ultimately from Proto-Germanic *dud- (“to move”), related to Old English dydrian, dyderian (“to delude, deceive”), Middle English dideren (“to tremble, quake, shiver”), English dodder, Norwegian dudra (“to tremble”).
Etymology 2
From a Middle English diminutive form of Roger.