duel

1 of 2

noun

du·​el ˈdü-əl How to pronounce duel (audio)
 also  ˈdyü-
1
: a combat between two persons
specifically : a formal combat with weapons fought between two persons in the presence of witnesses
2
: a conflict between antagonistic persons, ideas, or forces
also : a hard-fought contest between two opponents

duel

2 of 2

verb

dueled or duelled; dueling or duelling

intransitive verb

: to fight a duel

transitive verb

: to encounter (an opponent) in a duel
dueler noun
or dueller
duelist noun
or duellist

Examples of duel in a Sentence

Noun They engaged in a duel of wits. a duel for the title of captain of the team Verb He accepted the challenge to duel. Legislators dueled over the tax increases. The two runners dueled for the lead.
Recent Examples on the Web
Noun
Saturday’s showdown at Contra Costa College was a duel between two programs with opposite reputations in NorCal. Joseph Dycus, The Mercury News, 3 Mar. 2024 Unlike the duels between Paul/Jamis and Feyd-Rautha/Lanville, this fight is not just two actors face to face. Christian Holub, EW.com, 3 Mar. 2024 The first women’s fencing event had been added to the Olympics a decade earlier, at the 1924 Paris Games, but at the time the sport, which is descended from duels, remained largely the domain of men. Emily Langer, Washington Post, 28 Feb. 2024 The student, who was 16 when she was injured in class that day, initially recorded a video of a duel between two male students, the lawsuit says.. Julia Marnin, Sacramento Bee, 27 Feb. 2024 There was a time when people used to challenge their opponents to a duel when their good name was at stake. Oleksandr Strozhemin, Forbes, 22 Feb. 2024 In authoritarian regimes, such political challenges often boil down to a duel between two men to see who can outlast the other, and that is what happened in this case, Mr. Gallyamov said. Neil MacFarquhar, New York Times, 17 Feb. 2024 One of the most exciting playoff games in recent memory — a quarterback duel between Buffalo’s Josh Allen and Kansas City’s Patrick Mahomes — ended abruptly in a 42-36 Chiefs win when Mahomes connected with Travis Kelce on an eight-yard touchdown pass. Chuck Schilken, Los Angeles Times, 11 Feb. 2024 The weaponry aboard Russia’s warships wasn’t designed with drones in mind, forcing targets like the IVAN to use cannons better suited to duels with other ships, the pilot said. Joseph Ataman, CNN, 5 Feb. 2024
Verb
Coaches offer dueling reactions after LSU-South Carolina near-brawl The ugliness that marred the end of the SEC tournament title game Sunday afternoon called for restraint, common sense and a dose of humility from both coaches. USA TODAY, 12 Mar. 2024 The 96th Oscars had a lot to celebrate, what with a rough year plagued by two dueling strikes, a couple of world-rocking blockbusters, and a crop of truly great films. Lester Fabian Brathwaite, EW.com, 10 Mar. 2024 Like in House District 64, the candidates had dueling endorsements from Paxton and Abbott. Eleanor Dearman, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 6 Mar. 2024 Lawmakers see path forward after Biden meeting Biden, Trump deliver dueling messages in person at southern border In: John Cornyn United States Senate Republican Party Mitch McConnell Stefan Becket Stefan Becket is managing editor, digital politics, for CBSNews.com. Stefan Becket, CBS News, 29 Feb. 2024 Suarez — a Republican of Cuban descent who briefly sought the GOP presidential nomination last year as the party’s only Hispanic candidate — said that the dueling visits to the border on Thursday made clear that Trump was the best candidate for the job. Max Greenwood, Miami Herald, 1 Mar. 2024 The at-times dueling sides were on display last year when Altman was abruptly ousted then brought back to the company. Juliana Kim, NPR, 1 Mar. 2024 That comedian is Steve Coogan, perhaps best known for creating the character Alan Partridge, a politically incorrect British TV presenter, and for his dueling Michael Caine impressions with fellow funnyman Rob Brydon. Leslie Katz, Forbes, 1 Mar. 2024 After the first pair of dueling science students completed their two-minute bout, Mitchell called N.S. and classmate D.M. to fight, the suit says. Cristian Santana, NBC News, 28 Feb. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'duel.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Noun

Middle English, from Medieval Latin duellum, from Old Latin, war

First Known Use

Noun

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb

circa 1645, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense

Time Traveler
The first known use of duel was in the 15th century

Dictionary Entries Near duel

Cite this Entry

“Duel.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/duel. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

duel

1 of 2 noun
du·​el ˈd(y)ü-əl How to pronounce duel (audio)
1
: a combat between two persons
especially : one fought with weapons in the presence of witnesses
2
: a conflict between two opponents

duel

2 of 2 verb
dueled or duelled; dueling or duelling
: to fight in a duel
dueler noun
or dueller
duelist noun
or duellist
Etymology

Noun

from Latin duellum "duel," from an archaic form of earlier bellum "war"; revived in the Middle Ages to mean combat between two persons because the du- suggested Latin duo "two"

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