an elaborate or deceitful scheme contrived to deceive or evade
"his testimony was just a contrivance to throw us off the track"
a quick evasive movement
"The cyclist managed to dodge the sudden pothole just before hitting it."
An act of dodging.
"She managed to dodge his question by changing the subject entirely."
In plain English: A dodge is a clever trick or excuse used to avoid doing something you don't want to do.
"The driver managed to avoid the accident thanks to his quick dodge."
Usage: Use "dodge" as a noun to describe a specific maneuver or trick used to avoid something, such as a soccer player executing a quick dodge to get past a defender. It refers directly to the action itself rather than describing someone who avoids trouble.
make a sudden movement in a new direction so as to avoid
"The child dodged the teacher's blow"
move to and fro or from place to place usually in an irregular course
"the pickpocket dodged through the crowd"
To avoid (something) by moving suddenly out of the way.
"The soccer player managed to dodge the defender's tackle by diving sideways at the last second."
In plain English: To dodge means to quickly move out of the way to avoid being hit by something.
"He managed to dodge the falling branch just in time."
Usage: Use "dodge" when you physically move quickly to avoid hitting an object or person, such as ducking under a low branch or swerving around a pothole. Do not use it for avoiding tasks or responsibilities, which requires words like "evade" or "shirk."
dodgy
"The car's brakes felt really dodgy, so I decided to get it checked out before our long drive home."
Usage: Do not use "dodge" as an adjective; instead, use its variant form "dodgy" to describe something suspicious or unreliable. This error often occurs when speakers attempt to modify a noun with the root word rather than the correct attributive form.
A surname, from given names.
"The genealogist noted that Dodge is a common English surname derived from various medieval given names."
The word "dodge" likely comes from an old dialectal form meaning to jog, trudge along, or jerk. Its ultimate roots may lie in a Proto-Germanic term for movement that is also connected to words describing trembling and deception.