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• Derby
  Derby

  noun

  a city in Derbyshire in central England.
• derby
  derby

  noun

  a stiff felt hat with a rounded crown and narrow curved brim

Derby

¹ American  

[dur-bee, dahr-bee] / ˈdɜr bi, ˈdɑr bi /

noun

1. a city in Derbyshire in central England.

2. Derbyshire.

3. a city in S Connecticut.

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Derby ² American  

[dur-bee, dahr-bee] / ˈdɜr bi, ˈdɑr bi /

noun

• Derbies
  plural

1. a race for three-year-old horses that is run annually at Epsom Downs, near London, England: first run in 1780.

2. any of certain other important annual horse races, usually for three-year-old horses, especially the Kentucky Derby.

3. (lowercase) a race or contest, usually one open to all who wish to enter and offering a prize for the winner.

4. (lowercase) any endeavor or venture regarded as a competition.

   to win the gubernatorial derby.

5. Also called bowler.  (lowercase) a stiff felt hat with rounded crown and narrow brim, worn chiefly by men.

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Derby ¹ British  

/ ˈdɑːbɪ /

noun

1. a city in central England, in Derby unitary authority, Derbyshire: engineering industries (esp aircraft engines and railway rolling stock); university (1991). Pop: 229 407 (2001)

2. a unitary authority in central England, in Derbyshire. Pop: 233 200 (2003 est). Area: 78 sq km (30 sq miles)

3. a firm-textured pale-coloured type of cheese

4. a green-and-white Derby cheese flavoured with sage

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Derby ² British  

/ ˈdɜːrbɪ, ˈdɑːbɪ /

noun

1. an annual horse race run at Epsom Downs, Surrey, since 1780: one of the English flat-racing classics

2. any of various other horse races

3. a football match between two teams from the same area

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Derby ³ British  

/ ˈdɑːbɪ /

noun

1. Earl of. title of Edward George Geoffrey Smith Stanley. 1799–1869, British statesman; Conservative prime minister (1852; 1858–59; 1866–68)

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derby ⁴ British  

/ ˈdɜːrbɪ /

noun

1. Also called (in Britain and certain other countries): bowler.  a stiff felt hat with a rounded crown and narrow curved brim

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• Derbies
  plural

Etymology

Origin of Derby

First recorded in 1830–40; after Edward Stanley, 12th Earl of Derby (died 1834), who instituted the race

Explanation

A derby is a type of hat that's round, felt, stiff, and has a narrow brim. Wear one with a little mustache and a cane, and you’ll look just like Charlie Chaplin. A derby, as the distinctive round hat with a little brim, was made in the U.S. in the 1850s, but it’s probably named after the Derby horse race in England, where men wore this kind of hat. The race was named after the 12th Earl of Derby. A derby can also be called a bowler, bowler hat, derby hat, or plug hat. Derbies are kind of old-fashioned, so you probably won't see anyone wearing one these days.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

Derby derby Derbies

He was the official artist for events including the Olympics, the Super Bowl, the World Series, the Kentucky Derby and the Indianapolis 500.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 17, 2026

The Derby Telegraph reported, external Randall appealed against his dismissal, which was overturned, but he was given a final warning.

From BBC ● Sep. 10, 2026

England sealed a comfortable series win as they hammered Ireland by six wickets in a one-sided encounter in the second one-day international at Derby.

From BBC ● Sep. 3, 2026

And while soccer remains her main duty, she has also covered the Kentucky Derby numerous times and has fronted NBC’s coverage of the last seven Olympics.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 1, 2026

A moment later an impatient young man entered the office, nodded briefly to Mr. Derby and Captain Prince, and glared at Nat.

From "Carry On, Mr. Bowditch" by Jean Lee Latham

Their derby victory was a brilliant win and Maresca's biggest result as their manager so far, with the way they did it.

From BBC ● Sep. 17, 2026

The Manchester derby sparked controversy early on as Phil Foden was shown a straight red card for kicking out at Bruno Fernandes.

From BBC ● Sep. 13, 2026

Erling Haaland's goal helps Manchester City win a highly controversial Manchester derby at rivals Manchester United despite playing with 10 men for more than 70 minutes.

From BBC ● Sep. 13, 2026

Previewing Sunday's derby encounter, Celtic great Scott Brown explained the importance of a fast start in this fixture.

From BBC ● Sep. 12, 2026

Building a soap box derby car was an apprenticeship in engineering, and the earlier a kid got started, she knew, the more likely they were to fall under its spell.

From "Hidden Figures" by Margot Lee Shetterly

"Derbies, you have to win, it does not matter how," said captain Granit Xhaka to Sky Sports.

From BBC ● Dec. 14, 2025

In other words, stalkers such as Messier win far more than their share of Kentucky Derbies.

From Washington Post ● May 5, 2022

Yakteen has never had a Kentucky Derby starter, but did assist Baffert for many Derbies.

From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 24, 2022

In the wake of Medina Spirit’s failed test, Baffert was suspended by Churchill Downs and barred from entering horses in the 2022 and 2023 Kentucky Derbies.

From Seattle Times ● Dec. 3, 2021

I saw his dogs work in the Canadian Derbies.

From Frank of Freedom Hill by Samuel A. (Samuel Arthur) Derieux