lame duck
noun
1
: one that is weak or that falls behind in ability or achievement
especially, chiefly British
: an ailing company
2
: an elected official or group continuing to hold political office during the period between the election and the inauguration of a successor
3
: one whose position or term of office will soon end
Examples of lame duck in a Sentence
The President was a lame duck during the end of his second term.
Recent Examples on the Web
Despite the unceremonious ending to lame duck, dozens of bills from the post-election period of lawmaking still await Whitmer's signature.
—
Clara Hendrickson, Detroit Free Press, 31 Dec. 2024
During the previous lame duck session in early January 2023, legislators approved the ban on certain semi-automatic firearms and magazines.
—Greg Bishop | The Center Square, Washington Examiner - Political News and Conservative Analysis About Congress, the President, and the Federal Government, 30 Dec. 2024
Yet not all acquisitions lead to immediate transfers of power and not all leaders fall into the passive, disengaged behavior commonly associated with lame ducks.
—Jennifer J. Fondrevay, Forbes, 20 Dec. 2024
Ohio lawmakers wrapped up their final lame duck session of the year with a flurry of bills passed late Wednesday evening and into Thursday morning.
—Andrew King, Axios, 20 Dec. 2024
See all Example Sentences for lame duck 
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Clara Hendrickson, Detroit Free Press, 31 Dec. 2024
During the previous lame duck session in early January 2023, legislators approved the ban on certain semi-automatic firearms and magazines.
—Greg Bishop | The Center Square, Washington Examiner - Political News and Conservative Analysis About Congress, the President, and the Federal Government, 30 Dec. 2024
Yet not all acquisitions lead to immediate transfers of power and not all leaders fall into the passive, disengaged behavior commonly associated with lame ducks.
—Jennifer J. Fondrevay, Forbes, 20 Dec. 2024
Ohio lawmakers wrapped up their final lame duck session of the year with a flurry of bills passed late Wednesday evening and into Thursday morning.
—Andrew King, Axios, 20 Dec. 2024
See all Example Sentences for lame duck
Dictionary Entries Near lame duck
Cite this Entry
“Lame duck.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/lame%20duck. Accessed 8 Jan. 2025.
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