deuce

noun

\ ˈdüs also ˈdyüs

Definition of deuce

(Entry 1 of 2)

1a(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 [ obsolete English deuce bad luck ]

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

deuce

verb

deuced; deucing

Definition of deuce (Entry 2 of 2)

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

This was high-decibel, high-stakes, high-quality tennis between two of the greats right from the get-go, beginning with an 18-point, six-deuce game that last 15 minutes and felt truly pivotal. — Howard Fendrich, BostonGlobe.com, "Novak Djokovic outlasts Rafael Nadal in five sets to reach fifth Wimbledon final," 14 July 2018 The Wimbledon men's singles final is back to deuce. — Sam Farmer, courant.com, "Djokovic Wins Another Marathon, Defeating Nadal In Wimbledon Semifinal," 14 July 2018 Krasner showed himself to be a master poker player, winning a pot with a pair of deuces. — Stu Bykofsky, Philly.com, "Plea deal no bargain for cop killers | Stu Bykofsky," 25 June 2018 Of the remaining 44 cards, only one of the other three deuces could give him victory. — The Economist, "In investing, as in poker, following rules works best," 31 May 2018 After Williams won a 21-shot rally to go up, 40-15, Kerber won the next point on a forehand winner and forced an error by Williams to get to deuce. — New York Times, "Tennis Needs Serena Williams Back. But Does She Need to Be Seeded?," 28 May 2018 On Thursday, Poway High’s Deron Johnson was the right person in the right spot, singling hard through the right side on a deuces-wild pitch — two on, two outs, 2-2 count with No. — John Maffei, sandiegouniontribune.com, "Poway’s Deron III delivers, sending Titans to Open Division final," 31 May 2018 Lastly, is the deuce of spaces higher than the Ace? — Michael Harriot, The Root, "The Root’s Clapback Mailbag: It’s a Hard Job, but Someone Has to Do It," 25 May 2018 How the diaper might handle particularly soggy deuces is unclear, though. — Beth Mole, Ars Technica, "Alphabet’s Verily has a “smart diaper“ design that distinguishes pee from poo," 17 May 2018

Recent Examples on the Web: Verb

Although the first three games went at least to deuce, Osuigwe quickly asserted command in going up a break. — Craig Davis, Sun-Sentinel.com, "Bradenton's Whitney Osuigwe dominates Orange Bowl tennis final, looks to pros," 11 Dec. 2017 Television broadcasts showed that Kerber’s shot had, in fact, landed out, which would have brought the score to deuce. — Ben Rothenberg, New York Times, "Serena Williams Loses Bid for 23rd Major and Her No. 1 Ranking SEPT. 8, 2016," 8 Sep. 2016

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'deuce.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.