deuce

1 of 2

noun

ˈdüs 

 also  ˈdyüs

plural deuces

1

a(1)

: the face of a die that bears two spots

(2)

: a playing card bearing an index number two

b

: a throw of the dice yielding two points

2

: a tie in tennis after each side has scored 40 requiring two consecutive points by one side to win

3

a

: devil, dickens

—used chiefly as a mild oath

what the deuce is he up to now

b

: something notable of its kind

a deuce of a mess

4

informal : the fecal matter expelled during one bowel movement

—usually used in the phrase drop a deuce

If you live in new dorms and you need to drop a deuce in private, just walk down to the first floor and use the bathroom that is traditionally reserved for parents and visitors.

—Veronica Sirotic

deuce

2 of 2

verb

deuced; deucing

transitive verb

: to bring the score of (a tennis game or set) to deuce

Examples of deuce in a Sentence

Noun

She beat her opponent after eight deuces.

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

But the real battle was on the deuce side, between Djokovic’s wide serve and Alcaraz’s deep return position. —Matthew Futterman, The Athletic, 4 Aug. 2024

South won and led a second diamond, and when West followed with the deuce, dummy played the eight. —Frank Stewart, The Mercury News, 13 Nov. 2024

Verb

If the player with advantage loses the point, the score returns to deuce. —NBC News, 28 July 2024

The last game of the set was the best of the final, hard-fought, going to deuce three times. —Gerald Marzorati, The New Yorker, 27 Jan. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Noun

Middle English dwsse, dews, dewes, borrowed from Anglo-French deus "two" (continental Old French dous, masculine accusative), going back to Latin duōs, accusative of duo; (sense 3) perhaps of independent origin; (sense 4) probably alluding to number two — more at two entry 1

Note: In expressions such as "a deuce on him," "a deuce take me," current from the 1650's, deuce is clearly a euphemism for "devil." The reason for the choice of deuce rather than another word has inspired several explanations, none entirely satisfactory. The editors of the Oxford English Dictionary, first edition, apparently following an article by A. L. Mayhew (The Academy, vol. 41, no. 1030, January 30, 1892, pp. 11-12) propose that deuce was borrowed from Low German duus in the same sense: "compare German daus, Low German duus, used in precisely the same way, in the exclamatory der daus! was der daus …! Low German de duus! wat de duus!" A Low German source is not specified by the editors, but Daus is entered in Grimm's Deutsches Wörterbuch with the meaning "deuce" in cards and dice, and as a euphemism for "devil" (Teufel, Low German Düvel). The parallel with English deuce is noted, but there is no suggestion that the English word was borrowed from German. This is indeed a weakness of Mayhew's hypothesis: the parallelism connecting the two languages does not necessarily imply borrowing of the word itself, and borrowing would not in any case explain why in particular duus/daus developed a secondary meaning.

Verb

derivative of deuce entry 1

First Known Use

Noun

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a(1)

Verb

1919, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing deuce

• a deuce of
• a deuce of a time

Kids Definition

deuce

noun

ˈd(y)üs

1

a

: the face of a die that bears two spots

b

: a playing card bearing the number two

c

: a throw of dice resulting in two points

2

: a tie in tennis after each side has scored 40

3

: devil entry 1 sense 1, dickens

—used chiefly as a mild oath

Etymology

Noun

from early French deus "two," from Latin duos (same meaning), from duo "two" — related to dual