variants often Dutch
: with each person paying their own way
went dutch to the movies
1
a
archaic : of, relating to, or in any of the Germanic languages of Germany, Austria, Switzerland, and the Low Countries
b
: of, relating to, or in the Dutch of the Netherlands
2
a
archaic : of or relating to the Germanic peoples of Germany, Austria, Switzerland, and the Low Countries
b
: of or relating to the Netherlands or its inhabitants
3
: of or relating to the Pennsylvania Dutch or their language
Dutchly adverb

Dutch

3 of 3

noun

1
a archaic
(1)
: any of the Germanic languages of Germany, Austria, Switzerland, and the Low Countries
b
: the Germanic language of the Netherlands and Belgium
2
Dutch plural
a
archaic : the Germanic peoples of Germany, Austria, Switzerland, and the Low Countries
c
: the people of the Netherlands
3
4
: dander
her Dutch is up
5
: disfavor, trouble
in Dutch with the boss

Examples of dutch in a Sentence

Noun He loves learning about the Dutch.
Recent Examples on the Web
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Adjective
Look at the scene in Dallas as the Dutch fans went nuts along with Mexican and Brazilian fans. Joe Kinsey Outkick, FOXNews.com, 15 June 2026 The light that falls from the left, through half-open windows, onto Vermeer’s walls, some of them bare, testifies not so much to an overcast Dutch day as to a suffusion of grace. Anthony Lane, New Yorker, 13 Apr. 2026
Noun
The ski slope on Dutch Henry Hill on CMC’s campus, at 10,200 feet above sea level, had melted away earlier this spring after a historically bad snow season. John Meyer, Denver Post, 30 Apr. 2026 Winston serves as an executive producer and co-showrunner on the current second season of Fox’s comedy series Going Dutch. Nellie Andreeva, Deadline, 29 Apr. 2026 See All Example Sentences for dutch

Word History

Etymology

Adjective

Middle English Duch, from Middle Dutch duutsch; akin to Old High German diutisc German, Old English thēod nation, Goth thiudisko as a gentile, thiuda people, Oscan touto city

First Known Use

Adverb

1914, in the meaning defined above

Adjective

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Noun

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a(1)

Time Traveler
The first known use of dutch was in the 14th century

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Dutch.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/dutch. Accessed 30 Jul. 2026.

Kids Definition

often capitalized
: with each person paying his or her own way
went dutch to the movies
: of or relating to the Netherlands, its inhabitants, or their language

Dutch

3 of 3 noun
1
: the Germanic language of the Netherlands
2
Dutch plural : the people of the Netherlands
3
: disfavor entry 1 sense 2, trouble entry 2
was in Dutch with the teacher

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