duke

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noun \ˈdük also ˈdyük\

Definition of duke

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

play \-dəm\ noun

See duke defined for English-language learners

See duke defined for kids

Examples of duke in a Sentence

Put up your dukes and fight, you coward!

Recent Examples of duke from the Web

This is what its collection of kings, princes, counts, dukes, barons, sheikhs, rajas and generals came up with?

— mark zeigler, sandiegouniontribune.com, "The Olympics and the pursuit of irrelevance", 9 June 2017
When Brazil became a republic, the palms to be greased now belonged to deputies in congress instead of dukes in castles.

— tim padgett, Bloomberg.com, "Brazil’s Car Wash Scandal Reveals a Country Soaked in Corruption", 25 May 2017
SILENT KILLER':Death of 22-year-old inspires carbon monoxide alarm ordinance The former King Edward VIII and Wallis Simpson were given the titles of duke and duchess of Windsor following their marriage in June 1937.

— holly v. hays, Indianapolis Star, "Here's how you can buy the Duke of Windsor's china", 5 May 2017
At age 95, the duke of Edinburgh is entitled to a little time off.

— bill daley, chicagotribune.com, "Prince Philip's retirement has many asking 'who's royally next?'", 5 May 2017
Arguably the best joke about Philip’s retirement came from the duke himself.

— karla adam, Washington Post, "‘When your granny trolls the entire world’: Brits react to Prince Philip’s retirement with trademark sarcasm", 4 May 2017
Cyrus dresses up a simple white tee and daisy dukes look with a red bandana necktie.

— braudie blais-billie, Billboard, "Miley Cyrus Embraces a Vintage Country Look in Her Self-Styled Billboard Cover Shoot", 4 May 2017
There are a few common denominators: Is there a duke or duchess in the house?

— Southern Living, "Where Y’all From?", 1 May 2017
Dukes had never reported the weapons missing or stolen.

— mari a. schaefer, Philly.com, "Montgomery County man charged with trafficking guns used in crimes", 28 Apr. 2017

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

Origin and Etymology of duke

Middle English, from Anglo-French duc, from Latin duc-, dux, from ducere to lead — more at ¹tow

NEW!

First Known Use: 12th century

See Words from the same year

Other Government and Politics Terms

agent provocateur, agitprop, autarky, cabal, egalitarianism, federalism, hegemony, plenipotentiary, popular sovereignty, socialism

duke

verb

Definition of duke

duked

;

duking

intransitive verb
: fight

duke it out

: to engage in a fight and especially a fistfight

See duke defined for English-language learners

Recent Examples of duke from the Web

TEXAS A&M 44, DUKE 30: Texas A&M: Nicholas Klonaris (12); David Reino (10); Gage Taylor (6).

— Sun-Sentinel.com, "Starter Division duo share spotlight on the Cooper City youth basketball hardwood", 4 July 2017
But not every big, dumb movie is created equal—and that’s reflected every summer as action movies duke it out in the box office.

— the editors of gq, GQ, "Summer Blockbuster Power Rankings 2017", 3 July 2017
Two-On-One Date Kenny and Lee are air lifted to an undisclosed location in the Norwegian wilderness to duke it out for Rachel’s love.

— melissa locker, Time, "The Bachelorette Recap: Hot Tubs and Handball in the Norwegian Wood", 26 June 2017
Catch the finale of RuPaul's Drag Race Friday night (June 23) at 8 P.M. EST on VH1 to see Peppermint, Sasha Velour, Shea Couleé, and Trinity Taylor duke it out for the crown.

— gabe bergado, Teen Vogue, ""RuPaul’s Drag Race’s" Important Spotlight on LGBTQ History", 23 June 2017
Companies such as Boeing and Airbus duke it out to sell their aircraft.

— allison barrie, Fox News, "Paris Air Show: 4 exciting new aircraft featured", 22 June 2017
While Optimus Prime drifts through outer space in search of his ancestral home planet of Cybertron, his nemesis Megatron has vanished, leaving mankind and metalkind to duke it out without chaperones.

— justin chang, latimes.com, "'Transformers: The Last Knight' is Michael Bay's robot-orgy swan song", 20 June 2017
Beckham representatives have declined to comment on the matter in order to let the two governments — and the affiliated public-safety unions — duke out a resolution.

— douglas hanks, miamiherald, "Fire chiefs increase the heat over David Beckham stadium deal", 9 June 2017
Two of its powerhouses will duke it out this weekend for the right to book that trip for Omaha, Neb.

— brian martin, Orange County Register, "NCAA Super Regional: Cal State Fullerton vs. Long Beach State — what you need to know", 6 June 2017

First Known Use of duke

circa 1947

Duke

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biographical name \ˈdük, ˈdyük\

Definition of Duke

Benjamin Newton 1855–1929 and his brother James Buchanan 1856–1925 American tobacco industrialists

DUKE Defined for English Language Learners

duke

play

noun

Definition of duke for English Language Learners

: a man of very high rank in the British nobility
: the ruler of an independent area of land especially in some parts of Europe in the past
dukes : fists or hands