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

Pier Francesco Orsini, the duke who commissioned the Sacro Bosco in the mid-1500s, left no explicit clues. —Lanta Davis and Vince Reighard, Smithsonian Magazine, 25 Oct. 2024

Some are just local mom-and-pop accommodations that have gained massive popularity over the years, while others were the summer homes or vacation destinations of cardinals, dukes, and queens. —Nick Mafi, Condé Nast Traveler, 4 Oct. 2024

Verb

Trump also made the comments with less than two weeks until Election Day -- and as the former president and Vice President Kamala Harris duke it out in what's expected to be a close contest. —Soo Rin Kim, ABC News, 25 Oct. 2024

When a costume contest is announced, the Scranton staffers duke it out for best costume (can anyone ever forget Gabe dressed as a very tall, very glittery Lady Gaga?). —Cady Lang, TIME, 21 Oct. 2024

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

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