1
as in disaster
something that has failed
our first attempt was a complete dud, so we had to start over
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in clothes
duds plural
covering for the human body
those are some pretty fancy duds you're wearing
Synonyms & Similar Words
3
as in things
duds plural
transportable items that one owns
you have one hour to pack up your duds and clear out of here
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in defective
Related Words
Dissimilar Words
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 dud
Brent Lang, Variety, 11 May 2026
Over the past two years, the NFL supplemental draft that takes place in July has been a dud.
—Trey Wallace Outkick, FOXNews.com, 29 Apr. 2026
Tim Graham, New York Times, 1 Jan. 2026
Duplass’ Michael is a dud, sorta sweet but totally spineless.
—Angie Han, The Hollywood Reporter, 18 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for dud
Noun
More troubling, the delta between a smash and a dud has never been wider.
—Brent Lang, Variety, 11 May 2026
Over the past two years, the NFL supplemental draft that takes place in July has been a dud.
—Trey Wallace Outkick, FOXNews.com, 29 Apr. 2026
Adjective
In a dud finale against the Detroit Lions in 1991, Wolford got rolled up and suffered a high-ankle sprain that hobbled him throughout the postseason.
—Tim Graham, New York Times, 1 Jan. 2026
Duplass’ Michael is a dud, sorta sweet but totally spineless.
—Angie Han, The Hollywood Reporter, 18 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for dud
Recent Examples of Synonyms for dud
Noun
-
Boeing has reached confidential pre-trial settlements in most of the dozens of wrongful death lawsuits filed in connection with the Ethiopian Airlines disaster and a similar 737 Max crash five months earlier off the coast of Indonesia that together killed 346 people.—
Rio Yamat,
Fortune,
15 May 2026
-
But the 48-year-old former San Francisco County supervisor’s solution — a single-payer-style public disaster insurance program — is poorly defined and presents an enormous risk for a state struggling with chronic deficits.—
Mercury News & East Bay Times Editorial Boards,
Mercury News,
15 May 2026
Noun
-
As the most discerning, up-to-the-minute voice in all things travel, Condé Nast Traveler is the global citizen’s bible and muse, offering both inspiration and vital intel.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
20 May 2026
-
Or, in this case, cutting things up with scissors and tossing them around.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
20 May 2026
Adjective
-
That six-story building has had 117 open violations, which include defective self-closing doors on the fourth and sixth floors and nonfunctioning smoke detectors and carbon monoxide detectors, city records show.—
Emma Seiwell,
New York Daily News,
14 May 2026
-
The Federal Trade Commission’s Mail, Internet, or Telephone Order Merchandise Rule requires sellers to deliver merchandise as promised or issue a prompt refund when a product is defective or undelivered.—
Christopher Elliott,
Mercury News,
8 May 2026
Noun
-
The Virginia house of burgesses voted to thank him and the militia for their service, with the lawmakers attributing the defeat to the failure of the other colonies to come to Virginia’s aid.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
20 May 2026
-
Rory McIlroy thinks back on three holes — his failure to birdie the par-5 ninth and the par-5 16th, and a big miss in his biggest moment.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
19 May 2026
Noun
-
Denise and Mohamed bought new clothing for the other children, whereas Djena was given ratty hand-me-downs—even her bras were Denise’s castoffs.—
Yudhijit Bhattacharjee,
New Yorker,
18 May 2026
-
How The Partnership Came About Kelce, who even founded his own clothing company, is a longtime fan of fashion.—
Jeff Fedotin,
Forbes.com,
18 May 2026
Noun
-
The Mets want to see better results with his stuff in the zone before giving him another start.—
Abbey Mastracco,
New York Daily News,
16 May 2026
-
In fact, one of my chief complaints about some contemporary thrillers is the feeling that characters are required to do dumb stuff by the unseen hand of the author, just so more crazy twists can happen.—
John Warner,
Chicago Tribune,
16 May 2026
Adjective
-
Immigrant rights advocates raised concerns with changes to the Medi-Cal program for adults with unsatisfactory immigration status, especially after the state Senate forecast in its plan that additional cost burdens wouldn’t be necessary, and that some could be delayed.—
Kate Wolffe,
Sacbee.com,
14 May 2026
-
Altman said his response was unsatisfactory to him and others because Musk said perhaps his controlling shares and votes should pass to his children.—
Ashley Capoot,
CNBC,
12 May 2026
Noun
-
Teams are at the center of the action when competing against another, complete with the celebrations and disappointments that are the hallmarks of any game show.—
Patrick Connolly,
The Orlando Sentinel,
14 May 2026
-
Fitzgerald said there’s no lingering disappointment following last weekend’s three losses, just excitement as his team attempts to claim the league title ahead of the postseason Big 12 tourney and NCAAs.—
Gary Bedore
May 14,
Kansas City Star,
14 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Dud.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/dud. Accessed 21 May. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
