tyke
1 Americannoun
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a child, especially a small boy.
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any small child.
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a cur; mongrel.
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Chiefly Scot. a low, contemptible fellow; boor.
noun
noun
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a dog, esp a mongrel
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informal a small or cheeky child: used esp in affectionate reproof
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dialect a rough ill-mannered person
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Also called: Yorkshire tyke. slang a person from Yorkshire
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slang a Roman Catholic
Etymology
Origin of tyke1
1350–1400; Middle English < Old Norse tīk bitch
Origin of tyke2
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
Explanation
A tyke is a child, especially a small one. A nursery school is full of tykes. Little kids are a handful, as all parents and teachers know. Maybe that's why there are some slangy words for them, such as rugrat and tyke. Tyke is a very informal word: a letter from the principal wouldn't call a kid a tyke. However, an uncle or friend of the family might say, "How are you tykes doing?" This word is a little old-fashioned, but it's still used.
Vocabulary lists containing tyke
My Brother Sam is Dead
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Gathering Blue
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Full of Beans
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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.
All those bystanders thought they were watching Ward and Tyke acting in a movie.
From Los Angeles Times • Jan. 31, 2023
Giants wide receivers coach Tyke Tolbert said Toney’s talent is obvious.
From Seattle Times • Jan. 7, 2022
Do these signs prove that she’s not like the other mommies at the various enrichment classes, Book Babies, Tyke Hyke, Gymnastic Jam and more?
From Washington Post • Jul. 26, 2021
The young Tyke Ajmal Shahzad is likely to take the fourth slot, leaving the fifth and final space open to debate.
From The Guardian • Sep. 20, 2010
All that Tyke knew, it turned out, he had been taught by Alec, as he sat there resting on his way home.
From The Heart's Country by Vorse, Mary Heaton
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.
