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Synonyms

duke

1 American  
[dook, dyook] / duk, dyuk /

noun

  1. (in Continental Europe) the male ruler of a duchy; the sovereign of a small state.

  2. a British nobleman holding the highest hereditary title outside the royal family, ranking immediately below a prince and above a marquis; a member of the highest rank of the British peerage.

  3. a nobleman of corresponding rank in certain other countries.

  4. a cultivated hybrid of the sweet and sour cherry.

  5. Slang. dukes, fists; hands.

    Put up your dukes.

verb (used with object)

duked, duking

  1. Slang. to hit or thrash with the fists (sometimes followed byout ): The bully said he was going to duke out anyone who disagreed.

    He duked me because he said I had insulted him.

    The bully said he was going to duke out anyone who disagreed.

idioms

  1. duke it out, to fight, especially with the fists; do battle.

    The adversaries were prepared to duke it out in the alley.
Duke 2 American  
[dook, dyook] / duk, dyuk /

noun

  1. Benjamin Newton, 1855–1929, and his brother, James Buchanan, 1856–1925, U.S. industrialists.

  2. a male given name.

duke British  
/ djuːk /

noun

  1. a nobleman of high rank: in the British Isles standing above the other grades of the nobility

  2. the prince or ruler of a small principality or duchy

"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

Etymology

Origin of duke

First recorded in 1100–50; Middle English duke, duc, late Old English duc, from Old French duc, dus, dux, from Medieval Latin dux “hereditary ruler of a small state,” Latin: “leader”; dux; duke def. 5 dukes (in the sense “fists”) of unclear derivation and perhaps of distinct origin

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

“If anyone expected the two of them to duke it out in Wright’s much-maligned rotunda,” Huxtable writes, they’d be shocked to discover the two Franks waltzing harmoniously instead.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 24, 2026

Canada and United States have been the two best teams in the men's ice hockey competition, and they will duke it out at Milano Santagiulia Arena on Sunday at 13.10 GMT.

From BBC • Feb. 22, 2026

Buckingham Palace at the time said the duke would “continue to support business in the U.K.,” adding that he “will undertake trade engagements if requested.”

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 21, 2026

During the appearance, the duke spoke only to confirm his name and that he understood the conditions of his bail.

From BBC • Feb. 5, 2026

Then the duke tried to escape, and the French were not kind.

From "The Mona Lisa Vanishes" by Nicholas Day

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.