duke

1 of 2

noun

ˈdük How to pronounce duke (audio)
 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 How to pronounce duke (audio)
 also  ˈdyük-
noun

duke

2 of 2

verb

duked; duking
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
Meaning, neither of you reflexively put your dukes up. Carolyn Hax, Washington Post, 16 Mar. 2024 The first part makes introductions and sketches in Paul’s back story as the beloved only son of a duke, Leto (Oscar Isaac), and his concubine, Lady Jessica (Rebecca Ferguson). Manohla Dargis, New York Times, 29 Feb. 2024 While the lights of Florentine culture dimmed, Lorenzo’s heirs were installed as hereditary dukes of a city whose long republican experiment had finally failed. Claudia Roth Pierpont, The New Yorker, 19 Feb. 2024 Hohenzollern then served as the first duke of Prussia until his death in 1568. Moira Ritter, Miami Herald, 31 Jan. 2024 This year, Melbourne (not to mention the entire state of Victoria) is pulling out the red carpet for visitors who make it around the world in a day for the chance to see the stars of the hardcourt duke it out for roughly $58 million in prize money. Christopher Cameron, Robb Report, 9 Jan. 2024 Heat Rating: 🔥🔥🔥🔥 Grade: B+ 02 'The Duke Gets Desperate' by Diana Quincy Diana Quincy launches her new Sirens in Silk series with this luscious tale of an American heiress and a dashing duke. EW.com, 16 Nov. 2023 Fit for a duke, an elegant residence near wineries and less than a half-mile from the historic Montalvo Arts Center in the San Francisco Bay Area city of Saratoga recently hit the real estate market for $14.5 million. David Caraccio, Sacramento Bee, 22 Feb. 2024 One family home that could have been open to Harry is Clarence House, Charles’ London residence, where the duke had his own room while growing up. Martha Ross, The Mercury News, 7 Feb. 2024
Verb
Other beach-goers danced, flung Frisbees and footballs, kicked soccer balls and even duked it out in boxing gloves. Chris Eberhart, Fox News, 12 Mar. 2024 Lauren Blois, a sophomore at Saint Anselm College, hopes the presidential candidates do duke it out in a debate. Mike Pappano, ABC News, 2 Feb. 2024 Billionaires are duking it out on X over diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) efforts. Steve Mollman, Fortune, 4 Jan. 2024 Feathers, fur, and musical numbers reigned supreme at this weekend’s box office, where birds, trolls, and a kaiju duked it out for the #1 spot. Shania Russell, EW.com, 10 Dec. 2023 The Open Division was created in 2012-13 so that the most ambitious schools playing the transfer game could be put together and duke it out while letting others play by a different set of rules and philosophies away from them. Eric Sondheimer, Los Angeles Times, 25 Feb. 2024 On the television side, the casts of Succession — which leads the overall TV nominees with five nods — The Last of Us, Abbott Elementary, and more are set to duke it out again following the Golden Globes and Emmys ceremonies earlier this year. Joey Nolfi, EW.com, 24 Feb. 2024 The Kansas City Chiefs and San Francisco 49ers look to duke it out for the second time in four years. Jon Hoefling, USA TODAY, 11 Feb. 2024 Keep an eye on Congress for potential increases in two tax breaks: Lawmakers are still duking it out over the specifics of a bipartisan tax package that contains two provisions that could save money for some filers claiming the child tax credit and for small business owners. Jeanne Sahadi, CNN, 29 Jan. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'duke.' 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 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

Time Traveler
The first known use of duke was in the 12th century

Dictionary Entries Near duke

Cite this Entry

“Duke.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/duke. Accessed 28 Mar. 2024.

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
: fist sense 1
usually used in plural

Biographical Definition

Duke

biographical name

ˈdük How to pronounce Duke (audio)
ˈdyük
Benjamin Newton 1855–1929 and his brother James Buchanan 1856–1925 American tobacco industrialists
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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