Lost stories aside, the expression led to the use of canard, the French word for "duck," to refer to a hoax or fabrication. English speakers adopted this canard in the mid-1800s.

The report that she was injured in the fire by which her stable was burned, proves to be a canard. The story of an armed band surrounding the bank had been a canard.

CANARD definition: a false or baseless, usually derogatory story, report, or rumor. See examples of canard used in a sentence.

Dec 22, 2025 · Borrowed from French canard (“duck, hoax”). The primary English meaning of canard comes from the Medieval French expression “vendre un canard à moitié”, which literally means “to …

A canard is an idea or a piece of information that is false, especially one that is spread deliberately in order to harm someone or their work. The charge that Harding was a political stooge may be a …

Definition of canard noun in Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary. Meaning, pronunciation, picture, example sentences, grammar, usage notes, synonyms and more.

Factsheet What does the noun canard mean? There are four meanings listed in OED's entry for the noun canard. See ‘Meaning & use’ for definitions, usage, and quotation evidence.