of, relating to, or characteristic of the natives or inhabitants of the Netherlands or their country or language.
pertaining to or designating the style of painting and subject matter developed in the Netherlands during the 17th century, chiefly characterized by the use of chiaroscuro, muted tones, naturalistic colors or forms, and of genre, landscape, or still-life subjects drawn from contemporary urban and rural life.
of, relating to, or characteristic of the Pennsylvania Dutch.
Archaic. German; Teutonic.
the people of the Netherlands and their immediate descendants elsewhere, collectively.
Also called Netherlandic. the Germanic language of the Netherlands and northern Belgium. D, D.
Obsolete. the German language.
go Dutch, to have each person pay their own expenses: Also go dutch
a dinner where everyone goes Dutch.
in Dutch, in trouble or disfavor (with someone).
in Dutch with the teacher for disturbing the class.
the language of the Netherlands, belonging to the West Germanic branch of the Indo-European family and quite closely related to German and English See also Flemish Afrikaans
(functioning as plural) the natives, citizens, or inhabitants of the Netherlands
See double Dutch
slang in trouble
The idioms go Dutch (related to Dutch treat ) and in Dutch (which uses Dutch to mean “trouble”) are both sometimes perceived as insulting to or by the Dutch. In addition, the adjective Dutch is found in a few other set phrases ( Dutch courage, Dutch gold, and Dutch uncle ) in which it implies that something Dutch is not authentic. Although insulting a particular person or nationality may be unintentional, it is best to be aware that use of these terms is sometimes perceived as offensive to or by the Dutch.
First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English Duch, from Middle Dutch duutsch “Dutch, German(ic),” Old High German diutisc “popular, vulgar (language)” (as opposed to learned Latin), translation of Latin (lingua) vulgāris “popular (language)”
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
In 2004, Google famously tried a Dutch auction as a way to push back against what it viewed as the clubby world of bankers allocating stock to the largest institutions and wealthiest clients.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 23, 2026
This bad news comes on the heels of a hantavirus outbreak onboard a Dutch cruise ship earlier this month that grabbed global attention with 11 cases, three of them fatal.
From Salon • May 20, 2026
Eric Jhonsa of Dutch Asset Corporation pointed to a broader problem: "AI startups with little or no revenue getting sky-high valuations."
From Barron's • May 20, 2026
Dutch defender Nathan Ake, keeper James Trafford, Rico Lewis and midfielder Mateo Kovacic have had their first-team minutes limited this term, and Omar Marmoush and Nico Gonzalez could also be moved on.
From BBC • May 19, 2026
And then we would hear the life-giving words passed back along the aisles in French, Polish, Russian, Czech, back into Dutch.
From "The Hiding Place" by Corrie ten Boom
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
