: any of several horse races held annually and usually restricted to three-year-olds
2
: a race or contest open to all comers or to a specified category of contestants
a bicycle derby
3
British: a game between local sports teams
… even when both clubs were going through trophy droughts, the derby was still treated like a European Cup final by the fans.—The Manchester (England) Evening News
4
: a stiff felt hat with dome-shaped crown and narrow brim
Illustration of derby
derby 4
Examples of derby in a Sentence
a derby between Manchester United and Manchester City
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Fulham’s derby with Brentford was still goalless approaching the midway point of the first half when Josh King, the 18-year-old midfielder making his fifth consecutive league start, collected possession from his goalkeeper Bernd Leno.—Anantaajith Raghuraman, New York Times, 22 Sep. 2025 Premier League leader Liverpool cannot stop winning and enters Saturday's Merseyside derby in imperious form.—Kilty Cleary, MSNBC Newsweek, 20 Sep. 2025 Drennan, 43, grew up helping his brothers and uncles build derby cars and later competed in a few derbies himself.—Sean Clancy, Arkansas Online, 14 Sep. 2025 Find Haberdasher’s simple derby-and-tie logo hanging on San Salvador Street, then the low-key front door leading downstairs to cocktail nirvana.—John Metcalfe, Mercury News, 12 Sep. 2025 See All Example Sentences for derby
: a horse race usually for three-year-olds held annually
2
: a race or contest open to all comers
a fishing derby
3
: a stiff felt hat with dome-shaped top and narrow brim
Etymology
named for Edward Stanley, 12th earl of Derby (a county and town in England)
Word Origin
The first horse race called a Derby was named after an English nobleman named Edward Stanley, the Earl of Derby (1752–1834). The Earl instituted the race in 1780, and it continues to be run to the present day on the first Wednesday in June at Epsom Downs, a racetrack south of London. The name Derby has become attached to other races usually restricted to three-year-old horses, such as the Kentucky Derby. It is used as well of races that have nothing to do with horses, such as the Pinewood Derby run by the Cub Scouts. In the 1800s derby was also the name given in the U.S. to a dome-shaped hat called a bowler in England. The reason why the hat was given this name is uncertain, and nothing seems to link it with horse races.
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