dickens

noun

dick·​ens ˈdi-kənz 

: devil, deuce

Examples of dickens in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

His absentee boss, whose own messaging often has been the dickens to decipher, obviously feels OK with what’s gone on here. — Globe Staff, BostonGlobe.com, 7 June 2022

One very important part of that care is pruning, something that scares the dickens out of people. — Steve Bender, Southern Living, 30 Apr. 2021

Word History

Etymology

euphemism

First Known Use

1599, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing dickens

• cute as the dickens
• like the dickens
• scared/frightened the dickens
• the dickens

Rhymes for dickens

• chickens
• quickens
• sickens
• thickens

Kids Definition

dickens

noun

dick·​ens ˈdik-ənz 

: devil entry 1 sense 1, deuce

—used chiefly as a mild oath

what the dickens do you mean?

Biographical Definition

Dickens

biographical name

Dick·​ens ˈdi-kənz 

Charles John Huffam 1812–1870 pseudonym Boz ˈbäz  ˈbōz  English novelist

Dickensian

di-ˈken-zē-ən 

-sē-

adjective