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
Blizzard and others also dismissed the notion that Trump needs to do anything to stay relevant politically and avoid becoming a lame duck.
—
Josh Hammer, MSNBC Newsweek, 1 Apr. 2025
All Republicans in the General Assembly are lame ducks and Shoemaker is being dishonest in his criticism of me for not towing the party’s strategy of failure.
—Christopher Eric Bouchat, Baltimore Sun, 26 Mar. 2025
This isn’t a lame duck head coach working through the final year of his contract.
—Thomas Drance, New York Times, 28 Mar. 2025
Trump, 78, serving in his second and final term, by definition becomes a lame duck as his party gazes over the horizon to a new generation of ambitious Republicans.
—Alexis Simendinger, The Hill, 20 Jan. 2025
See All Example Sentences for lame duck
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Josh Hammer, MSNBC Newsweek, 1 Apr. 2025
All Republicans in the General Assembly are lame ducks and Shoemaker is being dishonest in his criticism of me for not towing the party’s strategy of failure.
—Christopher Eric Bouchat, Baltimore Sun, 26 Mar. 2025
This isn’t a lame duck head coach working through the final year of his contract.
—Thomas Drance, New York Times, 28 Mar. 2025
Trump, 78, serving in his second and final term, by definition becomes a lame duck as his party gazes over the horizon to a new generation of ambitious Republicans.
—Alexis Simendinger, The Hill, 20 Jan. 2025
See All Example Sentences for lame duck
Cite this Entry
“Lame duck.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/lame%20duck. Accessed 16 Apr. 2025.
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