Phrase guide

if it looks like a duck, swims like a duck, and quacks like a duck, then it probably is a duck

proverb · 1 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

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1

proverb

Meaning 1

A subject can be identified by observing its habitual characteristics.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: when I see a bird that walks like a duck and swims like a duck and quacks like a duck, I call that bird a duck

Antonyms: none provided

History

Etymology

No etymology was provided for this word.

Across languages

Translations

8 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Breton: ma nij ul loen evel un houad, ma labenn evel un houad, ma neuñv evel un houad, neuze e tle bezañ un houad — Translations
  • Finnish: jos se näyttää ankalta, vaappuu kuin ankka ja vaakkuu kuin ankka, niin se todennäköisesti on ankka — Translations
  • French: si ça ressemble à un canard, si ça nage comme un canard et si ça cancane comme un canard, c’est qu’il s’agit sans doute d’un canard — Translations
  • German: wenn es aussieht wie eine Ente, schwimmt wie eine Ente und quakt wie eine Ente, dann ist es wahrscheinlich eine Ente — Translations
  • Polish: jeśli coś ma wszystkie cechy czegoś, to prawdopodobnie tym czymś jest — Translations
  • Portuguese: se parece com um pato, nada como um pato e grasna como um pato, então provavelmente é um pato — Translations
  • Spanish: si parece un pato, nada como un pato, y grazna como un pato, entonces probablemente sea un pato. — Translations
  • Swedish: om en fågel ser ut som en anka, simmar som en anka och kvackar som en anka, så är det förmodligen en anka — Translations