How do you say “A sitting duck” in French?
The closest natural French equivalent is une cible facile, which literally means “an easy target”. English speakers use a sitting duck to mean an easy target with little protection. A clear French equivalent for an exposed target. It loses the English animal image. Register: neutral. Usage frequency: common.
Closest natural French
une cible facile
/yn sibl fasil/
- Literal meaning
- “an easy target”
- Register
- neutral
- How often it's used
- common
- Equivalence
Near-exact equivalent
94 out of 100
What a native French speaker would actually say
“Cible” means target, so the phrase makes the danger easy to understand. It can describe a person, a team or something thieves could take.
It also works for criticism: a public mistake can make someone “une cible facile”. It does not imply that the criticism is fair.
How close is the meaning?
- Meaning5 out of 5
- Tone4 out of 5
- Context5 out of 5
- Literal similarity1 out of 5
These ratings are editorial approximations, not measurements.
In context
English
An unlocked bike outside all night is a sitting duck for thieves.
French
Un vélo laissé dehors toute la nuit sans antivol est une cible facile pour les voleurs.
English
Without a goalkeeper, our team was a sitting duck.
French
Sans gardien, notre équipe était une cible facile.
Related expressions
Last updated 2026-10-01