quack

1 of 5

verb (1)

ˈkwak 

quacked; quacking; quacks

intransitive verb

: to make the characteristic cry of a duck

quack

2 of 5

noun (1)

: a noise made by quacking

quack

3 of 5

verb (2)

quacked; quacking; quacks

intransitive verb

: to act like a quack

quack

4 of 5

noun (2)

1

: charlatan sense 2

Religious quacks on radio and television thinking up new ways to take money from ignorant listeners and incidentally from legitimate churches.

—Andrew A. Rooney

2

: an ignorant, misinformed, or dishonest practitioner of medicine

No doubt these misunderstandings and dashed hopes have driven many cancer patients and their families into the arms of quacks.

—Haydn Bush

quackish

ˈkwa-kish 

adjective

quack

5 of 5

adjective

: of, relating to, or used by quacks

quack cancer cures

Synonyms

Noun (2)

• charlatan
• fake
• faker
• fakir
• fraud
• hoaxer
• humbug
• impostor
• imposter
• mountebank
• phony
• phoney
• pretender
• quacksalver
• ringer
• sham

Examples of quack in a Sentence

Noun (2)

don't bother to see that guy, as I've heard he's a quack with no actual training

Recent Examples on the Web

Verb

The birds scurry between the legs of an older goat, quacking nonstop. —Sushmita Pathak, The Christian Science Monitor, 25 Sep. 2024

Ducks keep quacking For years, the pipeline from Mater Dei High School in Santa Ana to USC was well known and seemingly uninterrupted. —Jon Wilner, The Mercury News, 16 Aug. 2024

Noun

The nomination to any responsible position of quacks like Robert F. Kennedy Jr. or Florida Surgeon General Joseph Ladapo would put her to that test. —Orlando Sentinel and South Florida Sun Sentinel Editorial Boards, Orlando Sentinel, 11 Nov. 2024

Her favorite recording reminded me of a duck’s quack. —Rivka Galchen, The New Yorker, 14 Oct. 2024

Adjective

And open channels of information have identified and exposed fake news, conspiracy theories, and quack cures, limiting their domination of public discourse on the coronavirus. —Dan Reiter, Foreign Affairs, 7 May 2020

This is where quack pseudoscience meets quasi-religious beliefs about how our bodies work, and suspicion of any chemical substance (whether in vaccines, pills, or lotions) is addressed by the pre-modern wisdom of the ages. —Miles Klee, Rolling Stone, 4 July 2023

Word History

Etymology

Verb (1)

alteration of queck to quack, from Middle English queken, from queke, interjection, of imitative origin

Noun (2) and Verb (2)

short for quacksalver

First Known Use

Verb (1)

14th century, in the meaning defined above

Noun (1)

1798, in the meaning defined above

Verb (2)

1628, in the meaning defined above

Noun (2)

1638, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Adjective

1653, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing quack

• quack grass

Kids Definition

quack

1 of 4 noun

ˈkwak 

: the cry of a duck

also : a sound resembling this cry

quack

2 of 4 verb

: to make a quack

quack

3 of 4 noun

: a person who makes false claims to special knowledge or ability

especially : one who pretends to have medical skill

quack

4 of 4 adjective

: of, relating to, or used by a person who is a quack

quack medicines

Etymology

Noun

a word created to imitate the sound made by a duck

Noun

a shortened form of earlier quacksalver "a person who pretends to have medical skill"; of Dutch origin

Medical Definition

quack

1 of 2 noun

ˈkwak 

: a pretender to medical skill : an ignorant or dishonest practitioner

quackish

-ish 

adjective

quack

2 of 2 adjective

: of, relating to, characteristic of, or being a quack

scores of quack remedies for arthritis

—Jane E. Brody