Meaning & use
a sitting duck
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Meanings
phrasecountableinformal
someone or something that is easy to attack, harm, or cheat because they cannot defend themselves or escape.
Grammar: Used like a countable noun phrase, often after the verb 'be': He was a sitting duck.
Patterns
- be a sitting duck
- a sitting duck for someone
- a sitting duck for something
Without a bodyguard, the witness was a sitting duck for anyone who wanted to silence her.
The old laptop had no password, so it was a sitting duck for hackers.
Drivers who ignore the icy roads become sitting ducks for accidents.
phrasecountableinformalfigurative
a person or group that is certain to be criticized, defeated, or made fun of because of an obvious weakness.
Grammar: Also a countable phrase; it often follows 'make someone' or 'leave someone'.
Patterns
- make someone a sitting duck
- leave someone a sitting duck
- a sitting duck for criticism
After the scandal, the minister was a sitting duck for every reporter in the room.
A team that never practices its defense is a sitting duck for a fast opponent.
His clumsy excuse left him a sitting duck for jokes at the office.
Word forms
| plural | sitting ducks |
|---|
Common combinations
- be a sitting duck
- Standing alone in the open field, the hiker was a sitting duck.
- a sitting duck for someone
- The small shop became a sitting duck for thieves after the alarm broke.
- a sitting duck for something
- The unguarded camp was a sitting duck for the coming storm.
- make someone a sitting duck
- Posting his address online made him a sitting duck for prank callers.
- like a sitting duck
- The boat drifted helplessly, like a sitting duck in the harbor.
Synonyms and how they differ
- easy target
- Neutral and more formal; it fits reports and business writing better than the playful 'sitting duck'.
- sitting target
- Very close in meaning, but it sounds more British and is less common in everyday American speech.
- prey
- Suggests being hunted or victimized, often by animals or criminals, while 'sitting duck' stresses that escape is impossible.
Opposites
Word family
Commonly confused: a sitting duck or dead duck? a sitting duck or lame duck?
a sitting duck vs dead duck
A 'dead duck' is something already ruined or certain to fail, while a 'sitting duck' is still in danger but not yet harmed.
a sitting duck vs lame duck
A 'lame duck' is a weak official finishing a term with little power; it does not mean an easy victim.
Practice
The soldiers had no cover, so they were ___ for enemy fire.
Choose one answer.
'A sitting duck' means an easy target that cannot escape, which fits having no cover. 'A dead duck' means something already ruined, and 'a lame duck' describes a weak official near the end of a term, so neither fits the danger of enemy fire.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “a sitting duck”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.