DODGING Synonyms: 94 Similar and Opposite Words

dodging 1 of 2

noun

as in escape

the act or a means of getting or keeping away from something undesirable the governor's repeated dodging of tough questions at the press conference

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

dodging

2 of 2

verb

present participle of dodge

as in ducking

to move suddenly aside or to and fro dodging through the crowd on his way to the exit

Synonyms & Similar Words

as in circumventing

to avoid having to comply with (something) especially through cleverness always trying to dodge the landlord's rule prohibiting pets

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in avoiding

to get or keep away from (as a responsibility) through cleverness or trickery dodged the horde of paparazzi by leaving through the service entrance

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of dodging

Noun

Many Londoners have firsthand experience of phone-snatching or have witnessed a surge in shoplifting and subway fare-dodging. — ABC News, 23 July 2026 Not everyone wants to spend the Fourth dodging booms. — Melissa Oyler, Charlotte Observer, 26 June 2026 Ditching grass and dodging HOAs, some homeowners are opting for native lawns. — Joe Mutascio, IndyStar, 8 June 2026 When McKenzie asks him how much he’s contributed to the coffers of politicians, his dodging of the question is pure dissembling theater. — Owen Gleiberman, Variety, 20 Apr. 2026 Furthermore, the Ukrainian army is short-handed, facing around 200,000 troop desertions and draft-dodging by around 2 million people, Fedorov said in January. — Kirsten Grieshaber, Los Angeles Times, 14 Apr. 2026 Starter Seth Lugo pitched four strong innings, including artful dodging of traffic in the second, and the bullpen stranded seven Colombia base runners the rest of the way. — Maria Torres, New York Times, 7 Mar. 2026 All combat is close combat, made harder by the fact that running and dodging depletes Shimizu’s stamina quite quickly, leaving her too exhausted to run through maze-like streets and alleyways, or fight off whatever horrible thing is waiting around the next corner. — Richard Newby, Time, 6 Dec. 2025 And although the modern age of gaming is mostly dominated by a Soulslike ethos of action that prioritizes methodical dodging and plodding, there are many fans who yearn for a return to the heyday of 2000s-era slash ‘em ups. — Christopher Cruz, Rolling Stone, 20 Oct. 2025

Verb

To help build that picture, Heinzerling and team got on court with Nadal, with camera operators dodging tennis balls and sliding and capturing moments of Nadal with his young son and wife at home. — Caitlin Huston, HollywoodReporter, 9 Aug. 2026 With these headwinds in sight, the success of Myspace hinges on some key factors, including attracting advertisers, sustaining user interest, and dodging a thorny regulatory environment. — Sawdah Bhaimiya, CNBC, 9 Aug. 2026 Koehn’s video shows Salinas shooting and then dodging, taking cover in the bushes near a thin strip of grass between the drive-thru and Koehn’s car. — Idaho Statesman, 7 Aug. 2026 Throughout the day, teenagers would dash onto the beach, dodging officers before diving back into the water. — Kerry Breen, CBS News, 31 July 2026 Spider-Man co-stars Zendaya and Tom Holland spent years dodging questions about whether or not there was something more to their on-screen romance. — Christopher Luu, InStyle, 31 July 2026 Discovered in 2004 while traveling on an alarming potential collision course with our planet, the near-Earth asteroid Apophis is now better known as the best example yet of our world dodging a cosmic bullet. — Andrew Jones, Scientific American, 30 July 2026 In a new clip shared exclusively with PEOPLE, the Spider-Man star can be seen dodging a question about tying the knot. — Jack Smart, PEOPLE, 28 July 2026 Others edited footage of themselves dodging police barricades to mimic the popular endless runner mobile game Subway Surfers. — ABC News, 25 July 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for dodging

Noun

At the island’s northwestern tip, Malli (north) offers the ultimate secluded escape.

— Monica Mendal, Vogue, 10 Aug. 2026
San Fruttuoso, although busy during the day in summer (there are frequent ferries from nearby towns like Camogli, Rapallo and Sestri Levante), becomes an escape-from-it-all retreat in the evening (the village has a population of less than 40).

— Catherine Sabino, Forbes.com, 10 Aug. 2026

Definition of escape

Verb

Larkin has used Moskowitz’s refusal to appear with him to accuse the reelection-seeking congressman of ducking debates and avoiding the voters.

— Anthony Man, Sun Sentinel, 6 Aug. 2026
Two men walking across the street on Parkside Place can be seen ducking for cover, one behind a parked car.

— Lisa Rozner, CBS News, 6 Aug. 2026

Definition of ducking

Verb

Molt often carried them into the country in suitcases, easily circumventing the relatively lax customs regulations.

— Rory Doherty, Time, 6 Aug. 2026
Hegseth has already challenged that premise in ways both meaningful and petty, by circumventing the normal promotion process to push out officers far below him or to stall their advancements, and by firing senior officers set for even higher rank.

— Missy Ryan, The Atlantic, 22 July 2026

Definition of circumventing

Verb

McDaniel had his reasons for avoiding supplying his own depth chart beyond not wishing to see it in print or on a website or TV network.

— Elliott Teaford, Oc Register, 10 Aug. 2026
Now some pregnant women and others are avoiding health centers for fear of the virus, at risk to their lives.

— ABC News, ABC News, 10 Aug. 2026

Definition of avoiding

Noun

The View From Nigeria On July 31, Nigeria ordered all digital asset traders and exchanges to register for a tax identification number or face fines and a possible prison term, cracking down on tax evasion in its growing cryptocurrency market.

— Tiisetso Motsoeneng, semafor.com, 7 Aug. 2026
In June, the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network issued guidance to help banks spot patterns tied to unlawful employment, labor brokers, shell companies, payroll tax evasion and identity theft.

— Richard Escobedo, CBS News, 6 Aug. 2026

Definition of evasion

Verb

The tech leaders were the tailors, weaving something elaborate out of nothing.

— Jeremy Macliver, Forbes.com, 10 Aug. 2026
The carry-on, medium, and large suitcase all feature durable hardshell exteriors, TSA locks, and spinner wheels that make weaving through crowded terminals much easier.

— Chaise Sanders, Travel + Leisure, 8 Aug. 2026

Definition of weaving

Verb

In the video, the riders can be seen speeding, popping wheelies, driving on sidewalks and evading police.

— Fort Worth Star-Telegram, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 3 Aug. 2026
He also was booked on four outstanding warrants related to evading law enforcement, according to police.

— Nicole Buss, Sacbee.com, 29 July 2026

Definition of evading

Verb

NurPhoto via Getty Images Anthropic has quietly joined the frontier labs designing their own chips, a shift driven less by escaping Nvidia than by the arithmetic of serving billions of tokens a day.

— Jon Markman, Forbes.com, 6 Aug. 2026
The alcohol-burning products were associated with 31 reports of flame jettings and flames escaping from the concrete container, resulting in 19 burn injuries.

— Ruben Vives, Los Angeles Times, 6 Aug. 2026

Definition of escaping

Browse Nearby Words

dodginess

dodging

dodgy

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Style

“Dodging.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/dodging. Accessed 14 Aug. 2026.

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Synonyms of dodging

noun

verb

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