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
Still, if the Liberty would have lost, Ionescu’s shooting woes would have drawn inevitable comparisons to those of John Starks, the former New York Knicks guard who infamously shot 2-18 in another decisive championship duel, Game 7 of the 1994 NBA Finals against the Houston Rockets. Sean Gregory, TIME, 21 Oct. 2024 Its Aleksandr fragrance, which has been on the market since 2012, imagines the smell on the final morning of writer Aleksander Pushkin’s life, which ended in a duel in January 1837. Justin Fenner, Robb Report, 19 Oct. 2024
Verb
Harris and Trump are set to hold dueling campaign events in Arizona on Thursday, a signal that both campaigns see opportunity here. Stephanie Murray, The Arizona Republic, 30 Oct. 2024 Schedule includes rallies in Wisconsin and North Carolina Both Harris and Trump will return to the Badger State on Friday with dueling rallies in Milwaukee, reports the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinal. Terry Moseley, USA TODAY, 30 Oct. 2024 See all Example Sentences for duel 

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 2 Nov. 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"

More from Merriam-Webster on duel

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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