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

According to a statement from the Uffizi Galleries, the 2,500-foot-long Vasari Corridor was commissioned by the second duke of Florence, Cosimo I de’ Medici of the infamous Medici family, which controlled Tuscany for much of the time between the 15th and 18th centuries. —Sonja Anderson, Smithsonian Magazine, 7 Jan. 2025

The Hanoverian dukes were an offshoot of a junior branch of the Welf dynasty, whose long history Leibniz was commissioned to write. —Anthony Gottlieb, The New Yorker, 6 Jan. 2025

Verb

In House districts that are less competitive – think deeply Republican or Democratic districts – the real fight came during the primaries, when candidates from the same party duked it out and are now all but assured victory in the November general election. —Riley Beggin, USA TODAY, 11 Sep. 2024

Pause to consider the league royalty on the floor at one time — not all on the same American team — duking it out in a game that easily matched the intensity of a game late in an NBA Finals. —Joe Vardon, The Athletic, 8 Aug. 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