tyke

1

or tike

[ tahyk ]
See synonyms for tyke on Thesaurus.com
noun
  1. a child, especially a small boy.

  2. any small child.

  1. a cur; mongrel.

  2. Chiefly Scot. a low, contemptible fellow; boor.

Origin of tyke

1
1350–1400; Middle English <Old Norse tīk bitch

Words Nearby tyke

Other definitions for tyke (2 of 2)

tyke2

or tike

[ tahyk ]

noun
  1. Australia and New Zealand Informal. a Roman Catholic.

Origin of tyke

2
1940–45; compare Ulster English Taig contemptuous term for a Roman Catholic Irishman, archaic English teague derogatory name for an Irishman <Irish Tadhg a common personal name

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use tyke in a sentence

  • "Eh, ye gude-for-naethin' tyke," he said to Bobby, in transparent pretense of his uselessness.

    Greyfriars Bobby | Eleanor Atkinson
  • An' look 'ere, if yer want a flag for the revolution, tyke muvver's trahsers an' tie 'em to the corfin.

  • Was the most utterly shabby, vulgar, mean-looking cur I ever beheld: in one word, a tyke.

    Spare Hours | John Brown
  • To be sure, we call a dog a “tyke,” and to describe any one as a dog is not complimentary, unless qualifications are made.

British Dictionary definitions for tyke

tyke

tike

/ (taɪk) /


noun
  1. a dog, esp a mongrel

  2. informal a small or cheeky child: used esp in affectionate reproof

  1. British dialect a rough ill-mannered person

  2. Also called: Yorkshire tyke British slang, often offensive a person from Yorkshire

  3. Australian slang, offensive a Roman Catholic

Origin of tyke

1
C14: from Old Norse tīk bitch

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012