What does the 🦆 duck emoji mean?

Co-authored by Cher Gopman and Kyle Hall

Last Updated: June 1, 2022

Noticed the 🦆 (duck) emoji splashing around your texts, Snapchats, and social media feeds lately and wondering what exactly it means? The seemingly simple 🦆 (duck) emoji is actually more complex than you might think. To help you out, we’ve tracked down all the possible meanings of this feathery fowl emoji, including what it’s slang for. Keep reading to learn everything you need to know about the 🦆 (duck) emoji.

Section 1 of 3:

🦆 (Duck) Emoji Meanings

1
The 🦆 emoji represents ducks (and other birds, too). Feeding the ducks at the park on a beautiful summer day? Snapped a pic of some fuzzy ducklings waddling across the sidewalk? Loving all the birds singing outside your window? Whatever it is, if it’s duck or bird related, the 🦆 emoji is the perfect choice.^{[1]
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- “Saw the sweetest ducklings on our walk this afternoon 🦆💚”
- “I think 🦆 might be my favorite bird of all time. Or maybe 🦩. Tough call.”
- “Does anyone else find it alarming that birds are basically living dinosaurs 🦆🦖? Just me? OK then.”
2
The 🦆 emoji is often used during duck hunting season. If someone you know hunts ducks, you may notice the 🦆 emoji popping up in their texts or social media posts more frequently once duck hunting season rolls around.^{[2]
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- “One more month people! It’s almost that time of year again 🦆🐾”
- “Nothing like a warm drink to wrap up a day of hunting with the boys 🦆🍂❄️”
- “Pretty successful duck haul today if I do say so myself 🦆🐕🏹”
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3
The 🦆 emoji can also be a symbol for duck meat. Whether you’re cooking a fancy meal with duck meat or posting a pic of the mouthwatering duck soup you ordered for dinner, the 🦆 emoji is the perfect addition to your post or message.^{[3]
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- “Had the most delicious roasted duck last night 🦆😋”
- “Thinking about trying 🦆 for the first time but I’m a little skeptical.”
- “Has anyone ever cooked 🦆 meat before? Is it supposed to turn black? Pls help.”
4
Some people use the 🦆 emoji as a cute pet name for their S.O. If you see someone pairing the 🦆 emoji with a sweet message about their significant other, “duck” or “duckie” might be a pet name they use for them.
- “My 🦆 took me on the most incredible date last night 🥰”
- “Can’t even express in words how excited I am to see my duckie later ❤️🦆”
- “Love you 🦆”
5
The 🦆 emoji is sometimes paired with pictures of people doing “duck lips.” Did your friend just post a silly pic of themselves doing pouty duck lips? Comment on it with the 🦆 emoji so they know you’re in on it too.
- “Early morning selfie 🦆💋”
- “Why is it actually impossible for me to take a picture where I’m not making this face? 🦆🦆🦆”
- “Love how we both ended up doing 🦆 lips in this photo ❤️”

Section 2 of 3:

What is the 🦆 (duck) emoji slang for?

The 🦆 emoji can be a (slightly) subtler way of saying f**k. At this point, who hasn’t had autocorrect replace “f**k” with “duck” in one of their messages? Once majorly frustrating for texters, people are now embracing the switch and using both the word “duck” and the 🦆 emoji in place of the f-word. If you see the 🦆 emoji in a text or Snapchat/social media post that has nothing to do with actual ducks or birds, your friend might actually be dropping an f (feather) bomb.
- “What the actual 🦆 did I just watch???”
- “🦆 me, I just spilled my cereal all over myself.”
- “I’m down to 🦆”

Section 3 of 3:

Fun 🦆 (Duck) Emoji Combinations

Pair the 🦆 emoji with other emojis to change its meaning. Here are some fun pairings you can try (plus what they mean):
- 🦆🥫 = foie gras
- 🦆🔫 = duck hunting
- 🦆😷 = bird flu
- 🦆🙈 = duck and cover
- 🦆🦢🦢🦢 = ugly duckling
- 🦆🐥🐥🐥 = ducklings
- 🦆🦫 = platypus
- 💸🦆 = paying bills
- 🦆🏰 = duck dynasty
- 💧🦆 = waterfowl