noun

quack

kwak

noun

The harsh, honking sound a duck makes.

"The pond was noisy with the quack of ducks fighting over bread."

A person who dishonestly claims medical expertise they don't have, or who peddles fake cures.

"The so-called doctor turned out to be a quack selling sugar pills as miracle cures."

"Consumer groups warned buyers about the online quack pushing unproven supplements."

verb

Of a duck, to make its characteristic call.

"The ducklings quacked loudly whenever they saw food."

How to Use Quack

Learner’s notes

In plain EnglishEither a duck's sound, or a fraud pretending to have medical qualifications.

Common mistake

A "quack" doctor is not simply a bad doctor — the word implies deliberate fraud or lack of real qualifications.

Common pairings

a quack doctor quack remedy quack cure

Word Forms

more quack comparative, quacker comparative, quacked past tense, quacked past tense, quacks plural, quacks plural, quacks singular, quacks singular, most quack superlative, quackest superlative

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Fill the Gap

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The pond was noisy with the _____ of ducks fighting over bread.

Etymology

Originally imitative of the sound itself, from Middle English quacken; the "fake doctor" sense grew out of "quacksalver," an old term for someone who loudly hawked bogus remedies.

Synonyms

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snake-oil salesman medicaster quacksalver pharmacopole

Related Words

pharmacist

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