quack

/kwæk/

/kwæk/

Other forms: quacks; quacking; quacked; quacker

There are good quacks and bad quacks. A good quack is the sound a duck makes. A bad quack is someone pretending to be a doctor. (You'd be better off visiting the duck with your ailment.)

If you ever get a chance to interview a celebrity duck, prepare to write the word quack in your notebook many, many times, because that’s all that ducks can say. The way you spell animal sounds changes depending what language you speak. In English a duck quacks, but in Danish a duck "raps," while Indonesian ducks "wek," and Romanian ducks say "mac." And that "MD" who isn’t really a doctor, but is good at pretending to be one? He's a quack. If you ever meet a quack that "quacks," please run.

Definitions of quack

1. noun

   the harsh sound of a duck
   type of:

   sound

   the sudden occurrence of an audible event
2. verb

   utter quacking noises
   “The ducks quacked”

   type of:

   emit, let loose, let out, utter

   express audibly; utter sounds (not necessarily words)
3. noun

   an untrained person who pretends to be a physician and who dispenses medical advice
   type of:

   Dr., MD, doc, doctor, medico, physician

   a licensed medical practitioner

   charlatan, mountebank

   a flamboyant deceiver; one who attracts customers with tricks or jokes
4. adjective

   medically unqualified
   “a quack doctor”

   synonyms:

   unqualified

   not meeting the proper standards and requirements and training
5. verb

   act as a medical quack or a charlatan
   type of:

   act, behave, do

   behave in a certain manner; show a certain behavior; conduct or comport oneself