duke

1 of 2

noun

ˈdük 

 also  ˈdyük

1

: a sovereign male ruler of a continental European duchy

2

: a nobleman of the highest hereditary rank

especially : a member of the highest grade of the British peerage

3

[probably from dukes of York, rhyming slang for fork (hand, fist)] slang : fist, hand

—usually used in plural

dukedom

ˈdük-dəm 

 also  ˈdyük-

noun

duke

2 of 2

verb

duked; duking

intransitive verb

: fight

Phrases

duke it out

: to engage in a fight and especially a fistfight

Examples of duke in a Sentence

Noun

Put up your dukes and fight, you coward!

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

Under the Farnese dukes, the city became wealthy and powerful. —Laura Itzkowitz, Travel + Leisure, 3 Nov. 2024

The key to unlocking the code may lie in learning more about the man who created the monsters: Orsini, a duke of Bomarzo who was known by the nickname Vicino. —Lanta Davis and Vince Reighard, Smithsonian Magazine, 25 Oct. 2024

Verb

The same could be said about the White House as former President Donald Trump dukes it out with Harris. House or White House control would complement likely Senate control from Republicans. —Ross O'Keefe, Washington Examiner - Political News and Conservative Analysis About Congress, the President, and the Federal Government, 7 Sep. 2024

Trump also made the comments with less than two weeks until Election Day -- and as the former president and Vice President Kamala Harris duke it out in what's expected to be a close contest. —Soo Rin Kim, ABC News, 25 Oct. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Noun

Middle English, from Anglo-French duc, from Latin duc-, dux, from ducere to lead — more at tow entry 1

First Known Use

Noun

12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb

circa 1947, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing duke

• duke it out
• grand duke

Kids Definition

duke

noun

ˈd(y)ük

1

: a soveriegn ruler of a duchy

2

: a nobleman of the highest rank especially of the British nobility

3

slang : fist sense 1

—usually used in plural

Biographical Definition

Duke

biographical name

ˈdük 

ˈdyük

Benjamin Newton 1855–1929 and his brother James Buchanan 1856–1925 American tobacco industrialists