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

see also:

duke it out

Examples of duke in a Sentence

Noun

Put up your dukes and fight, you coward!

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

Under the law, the remaining earls, viscounts and dukes who inherited their seats in the chamber along with their aristocratic titles will leave Parliament for good when the current session concludes this spring. —Peter Weber, TheWeek, 12 Mar. 2026

Members of the upper chamber dropped their objections to legislation passed by the House of Commons ousting dozens of dukes, earls and viscounts who inherited their seats in the House of Lords, The Associated Press reported. —Jared Gans, The Hill, 12 Mar. 2026

Verb

The March 17 election includes primary races for Illinois’ secretary of state, attorney general and treasurer — and while all those positions are held by incumbent Democrats who are running for new terms with no primary challengers, Republicans are duking it out in one of the contests. —Chicago Tribune, 15 Mar. 2026

Chester has two adult twins, Ursula (Sarah Michelle Gellar) and Titus (Shawn Hatosy), who are theoretically aligned but will duke it out for power. —Owen Gleiberman, Variety, 14 Mar. 2026

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

1935, 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