duke

1 of 3

noun (1)

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 plural

dukedom

ˈdük-dəm 

also ˈdyük-

noun

duke

2 of 3

verb

duked; duking

intransitive verb

: fight

see also:

duke it out

dukedom

3 of 3

noun (2)

duke·​dom -kdəm 

plural -s

1

: the state or territory ruled by a duke or duchess : duchy

2

: the rank or dignity of a duke

Examples of duke in a Sentence

Noun (1)

Put up your dukes and fight, you coward!

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

After the duke’s death in 1972, the duchess, in increasingly poor health, fretted about what to do with her massive collection. — Hadley Hall Meares, Vanity Fair, 7 Oct. 2026

This was a period of revolutions and secularization, when the church could not depend on the military leadership of a king, duke or the nobility. — Joëlle Rollo-Koster, The Conversation, 5 Oct. 2026

Verb

The film will duke it out for the highly coveted family audience that Toy Story 5 is currently monopolizing. — Ryan Coleman, Entertainment Weekly, 28 June 2026

The couple dukes it out in a seedy motel parking lot. — Kory Grow, Rolling Stone, 25 June 2026

Word History

Etymology

Noun (1)

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

Noun (2)

Middle English ducdom, from duc, duke + -dom

First Known Use

Noun (1)

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