deuce

¹ American  

[doos, dyoos] / dus, dyus /

noun

1. Cards. a card having two pips; a two, or two-spot.

2. Dice.

   1. the face of a die having two pips.

   2. a cast or point of two.

3. Tennis. a situation, as a score of 40–40 in a game or 5–5 in a match, in which a player must score two successive points to win the game or two successive games to win the set.

4. Slang.

   1. a two-dollar bill.

   2. the sum of two dollars.

---

adjective

1. (especially in games, sports, and gambling) two.

deuce ² American  

[doos, dyoos] / dus, dyus /

noun

1. devil; dickens (used as a mild oath).

   Where the deuce did they hide it?

---

deuce ¹ British  

/ djuːs /

noun

1. 1. a playing card or dice with two pips or spots; two

   2. a throw of two in dice

2. tennis a tied score (in tennis 40-all) that requires one player to gain two successive points to win the game

---

deuce ² British  

/ djuːs /

interjection

1. an expression of annoyance or frustration

---

noun

1. (intensifier) used in such phrases as what the deuce, where the deuce, etc

Etymology

Origin of deuce¹

First recorded in 1425–75; late Middle English deus, dewes, from Anglo-French, Old French, from Latin duōs (masculine accusative of duo ) “two”

Origin of deuce²

First recorded in 1645–55; apparently to be identified with deuce ¹

Explanation

A deuce is one of the number two cards in a deck of cards. Or, in tennis, a deuce is a tie that must be broken by someone scoring two points in a row. When playing games, remember that when you hear deuce, it comes down to two. There are two main meanings of deuce, both of which relate to the number two. The first is a playing card: the two of clubs, diamonds, hearts, or spades is called a deuce. In sports like tennis and ping pong, a deuce is a tie. One player must score two consecutive points to break the deuce and win. This can go on for a while if the players are well-matched. A hard-fought point could feature one deuce after another.

Example Sentences

Yet once again Paul dug deep and clawed his way back to deuce.

From Barron's • Apr. 5, 2026

The turnover ➡️ The easy deuce for Khamenia @DukeMBB makes em pay.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 30, 2026

Though she pushed Sabalenka to deuce on her opening service game, Anisimova’s afternoon was soon overtaken by mistakes.

From The Wall Street Journal • Sep. 6, 2025

A stunning winner at deuce teed up a first match point and Herbert blinked to hand it over with a double fault.

From BBC • May 28, 2024

“Great God, a deuce and a quarter! What year?”

From "Song of Solomon" by Toni Morrison

Related Words

• convict
• crook
• culprit
• felon
• fugitive
• gangster
• hoodlum
• hooligan
• lawbreaker
• mobster
• offender
• thug