duke

1 of 2

noun

ˈdük 

 also  ˈdyük

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

ˈdük-dəm 

 also  ˈdyük-

noun

duke

2 of 2

verb

duked; duking

intransitive verb

: fight

Phrases

duke it out

: to engage in a fight and especially a fistfight

Examples of duke in a Sentence

Noun

Put up your dukes and fight, you coward!

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

The impoverished duke needs Gladys' dowry to prop up his family's estate, and Bertha may have promised him a bit too much without informing George or taking Gladys' wishes into account. —Kelly Lawler, USA Today, 23 June 2025

But in the new episodes, Bertha’s obsession with marrying off Gladys, against her will, to a British duke (Ben Lamb), divides the Russells. —Judy Berman, Time, 20 June 2025

Verb

By the early 2010s, after years of industry consolidation, CVS and Walgreens were duking it out for the top spot, each with about 10,000 locations at their peak, and Rite Aid a distant third. —Phil Wahba, Fortune, 17 June 2025

With the budget process now off limits, the warring factions may duke it out through the normal legislative process, although there is a theory in some circles that the Department of Water Resources could proceed because the State Water Project was approved by voters 65 years ago. —Dan Walters, Mercury News, 13 June 2025

Word History

Etymology

Noun

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

First Known Use

Noun

12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb

circa 1947, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing duke

• duke it out
• grand duke

Rhymes for duke

• fluke
• juke
• kook
• luc
• luke
• nuke
• puke
• souk
• spook
• archduke
• rebuke
• caoutchouc

Kids Definition

duke

noun

ˈd(y)ük

1

: a soveriegn ruler of a duchy

2

: a nobleman of the highest rank especially of the British nobility

3

slang : fist sense 1

—usually used in plural

Biographical Definition

Duke

biographical name

ˈdük 

ˈdyük

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