duds
duds — noun
- dudssingular
- dudsesplural
1. things that fail to work the way they are supposed to, such as a device, a plan,
things that fail to work the way they are supposed to, such as a device, a plan, or an attempt that produces no useful result
Ryo bought a new flashlight, but it was a dud — the bulb never lit up.
noun: be a dud (something fails to work)
The company's latest product was a complete dud that nobody wanted to buy.
collocation: complete dud
Amani tried three pens; two were duds that left no ink on the paper.
The movie was a dud at the box office and barely earned back its costs.
文法句型
used only in the plural
用法筆記
Used only in the plural form (duds), though the singular (a dud) is very common when referring to one individual failed item. Often describes bombs, devices, business ventures, or events that disappoint expectations.
常見錯誤
2. a set of clothes, especially casual or informal clothing that someone wears for
a set of clothes, especially casual or informal clothing that someone wears for everyday activities
Benjamin showed up at the party wearing casual summer duds and sandals.
collocation: summer duds
Hoa packed her travel duds in a small bag for the weekend trip.
collocation: travel duds
The shop sells affordable hiking duds like boots and waterproof jackets.
Nila bought some stylish new duds for the job interview next week.
文法句型
used only in the plural
用法筆記
Informal plural noun — never used in the singular when referring to clothing. Common in casual conversation and advertising, but avoid in formal writing. Often appears with an adjective describing the type or style of clothing (summer duds, work duds, fancy duds).
常見錯誤
duds — adjective
- dudspositive
- dudsercomparative
- dudsestsuperlative
1. describing something that does not work properly or is worthless, such as a devi
describing something that does not work properly or is worthless, such as a device, plan, or attempt that has no value or result
The mechanic said the spark plugs were dud and needed replacing.
adjective: dud + noun (spark plugs)
Eli spent his money on a dud phone that would not connect to Wi-Fi.
Several dud fireworks lay scattered on the ground after the display was over.
The team realized the new software was a dud investment that never improved their work.
- working
dud means not working
- functional
dud means lacking function
文法句型
dud + noun (attributive use)
用法筆記
Used attributively before a noun (a dud phone) or predicatively after the verb be (the phone was dud). When used predicatively, the form stays dud (not duds). Less common than the noun sense, but natural in informal conversation about faulty things.