duke

noun \ ˈdük also ˈdyük \

|Updated on: 13 Jun 2018

Examples: duke in a Sentence

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

[probably from dukes of York, rhyming slang for fork (hand, fist)]

slang : fist, hand —usually used in plural

—

dukedom

play \-dəm\ noun

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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

But instead of going on their honeymoon immediately afterward, the new duke and duchess of Sussex instead returned to London.

— lisa ryan, The Cut, "Meghan Markle and Prince Harry Make First Official Post-Royal Wedding Appearance," 22 May 2018
Makeup artist Jazmina Daniel painted the duke and duchess of Sussex's first kiss on her lips using different-colored lipsticks and liners.

— zoë weiner, Teen Vogue, "Makeup Artist Creates Meghan Markle and Prince Harry Royal Wedding Lip Art," 21 May 2018
As befitting a soon-to-be duke and duchess, the hotels are both five-star estates with luxurious spas, award-winning restaurants, and in the case of Harry’s hotel views of a polo field, perfect for working off any pre-wedding jitters.

— melissa locker, Time, "Meghan Markle Just Arrived at the Cliveden House Hotel for the Royal Wedding," 18 May 2018
To be sure, Prince Edward is not the only royal sibling without a duke or duchess title: his sister, Princess Anne, has the title of Princess Royal, which she was given in 1987.

— megan friedman, Town & Country, "Why Prince Edward Is Not a Duke, But His Brothers Are," 16 May 2018
Their wedding bands—the duchess’s, made of Welsh gold, the duke’s, of platinum.

— elise taylor, Vogue, "The Deeper Significance Behind Prince Harry’s Decision to Wear a Wedding Ring," 22 May 2018
Like the duke’s first wife, Lady Cecilia never acquired the title of duchess.

— jennifer hassan, Washington Post, "Prince Harry is the second Duke of Sussex. The first was a rebel when it came to marriage.," 22 May 2018
The Queen can choose from five titles for a man -- duke, marquess, earl, viscount or baron -- and for a woman -- duchess, marchioness, countess, viscountess and baroness.

— angela dewan, CNN, "Duke and Duchess of Sussex: Harry and Meghan's new titles," 19 May 2018
Then another man emerges from the home, with his dukes up.

— madeleine marr, miamiherald, "Disturbing footage shows a homeowner getting attacked by a stranger at the door. | Miami Herald," 6 Apr. 2018

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

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First Known Use: 12th century

in the meaning defined at sense 1

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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

What must happen is clear, such is the sorry state of our world: The two will have to duke it out over whether black bodies have the right to enter white space.

— lily janiak, San Francisco Chronicle, "Comic more interesting than author in PlayGround’s ‘Scapegoat’," 24 May 2018
Casey Cagle and Brian Kemp will duke it out in a runoff.

— NBC News, "First Read's Morning Clips: About last night," 23 May 2018
The Band's Visit, Frozen, Mean Girls and SpongeBob SquarePants will duke it out for the coveted Best Musical award, while My Fair Lady, Once on This Island and Carousel, the only eligible revivals, will compete for Best Revival of a Musical.

— ilana keller, USA TODAY, "'SpongeBob SquarePants,' 'Mean Girls' lead 2018 Tony nominations with 12 each," 1 May 2018
Then all the candidates duke it out in the September primaries, followed by the November general election.

— mike vilensky, WSJ, "List of Hopefuls Grows for New York Attorney General’s Job," 9 May 2018
SUBSCRIBE TODAY Related stories from Fort Worth Star Telegram Fort Worth and Dallas used to duke it out on ice.

— peter dawson, star-telegram, "New 'Friday Night Lights' movie in development at Universal, report says | Fort Worth Star-Telegram," 9 May 2018
Calciomercato has claimed that the Lilywhites are in competition with north London rivals Arsenal, as well as German giants Borussia Dortmund and Serie A club Inter Milan, as the quartet duke it out for the 20-year-old's signature.

— SI.com, "North London Rivals Lead 4-Club Chase for Talented Lyon Midfielder Lucas Tousart," 27 Mar. 2018
SUBSCRIBE TODAY Sometimes the employer nonetheless prefers to duke it out rather than pay it off.

— david c. miller, miamiherald, "A look at Magic Leap’s bold strategy against angry ex-employee | Miami Herald," 22 Apr. 2018
Watch the Oxford and Cambridge University Boat Race Gathering on the banks of the Thames to watch Oxford and Cambridge universities duke it out in their annual boat race has been a tradition among Londoners since 1927.

— Condé Nast Traveler, "What to Do in London in March 2018," 5 Mar. 2018

First Known Use of duke

circa 1947

in the meaning defined above

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Duke

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

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