duke
1 of 2noun
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
noun also ˈdyük-
duke
2 of 2verb
duked; duking
intransitive verb
: fight
Example Sentences
Noun Put up your dukes and fight, you coward!
Recent Examples on the Web
Hayley Maitland, Vogue, 29 July 2022 Since the death of her husband, Prince Philip, last year, the duke is the senior male royal of the queen's generation and has occasionally stood in for her at official events. Hannah Yasharoff, USA TODAY, 2 June 2022 The duke and duchess then headed over to Waterloo Station to attend the unveiling of the National Windrush Monument. Sophie Dweck, Town & Country, 22 June 2022 The next day, the duke and duchess made their first official U.K. public appearance since stepping back as senior members of the royal family, attending the National Service of Thanksgiving honoring the monarch at St. Paul's Cathedral. Quinci Legardye, Harper's BAZAAR, 5 June 2022 The duke and duchess were photographed in a rare moment of PDA while backstage at the Earthshot Awards at Alexandra Palace in London. Nicole Briese, PEOPLE.com, 2 June 2022 The duke and duchess also share a three-year-old son, Archie, who was born in the U.K. Prince Harry and Meghan Markle recently visited the queen in April while making their way to Netherlands for the Invictus Games. Emily Tannenbaum, Glamour, 6 May 2022 Harry and Meghan, duke and duchess of Sussex, snuggle in an official engagement photo by Alexi Lubomirski. Cate Mcquaid, BostonGlobe.com, 8 Feb. 2022 The multi-year partnership with Spotify includes numerous programs, some hosted and others produced by the duke and duchess. Vasco Cotovio, CNN, 30 Jan. 2022 Joey Nolfi, EW.com, 6 Sep. 2022 As the Democrats duke it out on the campaign trail, DeSantis is raising his profile in two other battleground states outside of Florida. Alisa Wiersema, ABC News, 15 Aug. 2022 News breaks, networks report it, then analysts and prime-time hosts duke it out verbally. Bill Goodykoontz, The Arizona Republic, 12 July 2022 Most playoff matchups look like that, but Miami, the No. 1 seed, already has clinched its conference finals berth and has the advantage of waiting and watching the Bucks and Celtics duke it out. Lori Nickel, USA TODAY, 15 May 2022 Twitter’s officers and Elon Musk will duke it out in court in the battle of who wants to own Twitter less. Scott Nover, Quartz, 12 July 2022 There’s a fairly concrete tier of elite teams in the Southern Section — Marymount, Mater Dei and Mira Costa, with a couple more slots reserved for programs such as Harvard-Westlake, Sierra Canyon and Redondo Union to duke it out. Luca Evans, Los Angeles Times, 24 July 2022 Most playoff matchups look like that, but Miami, the No. 1 seed, already has clinched its conference finals berth and has the advantage of waiting and watching the Bucks and Celtics duke it out. Lori Nickel, USA TODAY, 15 May 2022 That means that people who are vaccinated and boosted are especially well equipped to duke it out with the coronavirus. New York Times, 11 June 2022 See More
Noun
The daughter of a Bavarian duke, Elisabeth never aspired to a role in the Habsburg court, reveling in the freedom of her life in the countryside outside of Munich. Hayley Maitland, Vogue, 29 July 2022 Since the death of her husband, Prince Philip, last year, the duke is the senior male royal of the queen's generation and has occasionally stood in for her at official events. Hannah Yasharoff, USA TODAY, 2 June 2022 The duke and duchess then headed over to Waterloo Station to attend the unveiling of the National Windrush Monument. Sophie Dweck, Town & Country, 22 June 2022 The next day, the duke and duchess made their first official U.K. public appearance since stepping back as senior members of the royal family, attending the National Service of Thanksgiving honoring the monarch at St. Paul's Cathedral. Quinci Legardye, Harper's BAZAAR, 5 June 2022 The duke and duchess were photographed in a rare moment of PDA while backstage at the Earthshot Awards at Alexandra Palace in London. Nicole Briese, PEOPLE.com, 2 June 2022 The duke and duchess also share a three-year-old son, Archie, who was born in the U.K. Prince Harry and Meghan Markle recently visited the queen in April while making their way to Netherlands for the Invictus Games. Emily Tannenbaum, Glamour, 6 May 2022 Harry and Meghan, duke and duchess of Sussex, snuggle in an official engagement photo by Alexi Lubomirski. Cate Mcquaid, BostonGlobe.com, 8 Feb. 2022 The multi-year partnership with Spotify includes numerous programs, some hosted and others produced by the duke and duchess. Vasco Cotovio, CNN, 30 Jan. 2022 Verb
As Jackson-Jordan and Huger duke it out in front of the cameras, Ashley Darby's drama with her spouse, Michael Darby, emerges from behind the scenes. Joey Nolfi, EW.com, 6 Sep. 2022 As the Democrats duke it out on the campaign trail, DeSantis is raising his profile in two other battleground states outside of Florida. Alisa Wiersema, ABC News, 15 Aug. 2022 News breaks, networks report it, then analysts and prime-time hosts duke it out verbally. Bill Goodykoontz, The Arizona Republic, 12 July 2022 Most playoff matchups look like that, but Miami, the No. 1 seed, already has clinched its conference finals berth and has the advantage of waiting and watching the Bucks and Celtics duke it out. Lori Nickel, USA TODAY, 15 May 2022 Twitter’s officers and Elon Musk will duke it out in court in the battle of who wants to own Twitter less. Scott Nover, Quartz, 12 July 2022 There’s a fairly concrete tier of elite teams in the Southern Section — Marymount, Mater Dei and Mira Costa, with a couple more slots reserved for programs such as Harvard-Westlake, Sierra Canyon and Redondo Union to duke it out. Luca Evans, Los Angeles Times, 24 July 2022 Most playoff matchups look like that, but Miami, the No. 1 seed, already has clinched its conference finals berth and has the advantage of waiting and watching the Bucks and Celtics duke it out. Lori Nickel, USA TODAY, 15 May 2022 That means that people who are vaccinated and boosted are especially well equipped to duke it out with the coronavirus. New York Times, 11 June 2022 See More 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
Kids Definition
duke
noun
ˈdük
ˈdyük
: a man of the highest rank of the British nobility
Biographical Definition
Duke
biographical name
ˈdük
ˈdyük
Benjamin Newton 1855–1929 and his brother James Buchanan 1856–1925 American tobacco industrialists
dukedoms
noun
as in duchies
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
- duchies
- republics
- kingdoms
- principalities
- monarchies
- sovereigns
- sultanates
- seigniories
- empires
- dictatorships
- democracies
- emirates
- domains
- dominions
- realms
- provinces
- theocracies
- monocracies
- oligarchies
- seignories
- commonwealths
- states
- sovrans
- settlements
- microstates
- trust territories
- ministates
- dependencies
- lands
- colonies
- nations
- city-states
- mandates
- soil
- countries
- homelands
- nation-states
- client states
- sovranties
- fatherlands
- condominiums
- sovereignties
- sea powers
- world powers
- superpowers
- condominia
- motherlands
- great powers
- welfare states
- powers