duce
noun
a leader or dictator.
duce
American
[doo-chey, doo-che]
/ ˈdu tʃeɪ, ˈdu tʃɛ /
noun
duces,
plural
duci
plural
-
a leader or dictator.
-
il Duce the leader: applied especially to Benito Mussolini as head of the fascist Italian state.
Duce
1
British
/ ˈduːtʃe /
noun
duce
2
British
/ ˈduːtʃɪ, ˈduːtʃe /
noun
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of duce
First recorded in 1920–25; from Italian, from Medieval Latin dux (genitive ducis ), Latin: “leader”; cf. duke, dux
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.
See Examples For:
The Vietnamese politely took what they were offered, but within twenty-four hours the complaints started coming back—the “American soap … didn’t pro- duce suds or clean properly.”
From MSNBC ● Jan. 9, 2018
On the average, each mailing nets less than a 2% response, but that is enough to pro duce $30 billion in mail sales.
From Time Magazine Archive
The failure of advancing surgery to re duce this mortality rate prompted Dr. Urban Maes, able New Orleans appendectomist. chief of the department of surgery of Louisiana State University Medical Center, to search for explanations.
From Time Magazine Archive
In time, California will stop trying to compete with France and will pro duce wines that are uniquely and quintessentially Californian.
From Time Magazine Archive
Groa asks Halfdan-Gram: Quis, rogo, vestrum dirigit agmen, quo duce signa bellica fertis?
From Teutonic Mythology, Vol. 1 of 3 Gods and Goddesses of the Northland by Ph.D.
The Coppa del Duce, more than 90 years on, comes shaped like a golden ticket.
From Slate ● Jun. 11, 2026
And when the Italian Azzurri lifted the trophy in Rome, a second trophy waited for them: the Coppa del Duce, commissioned by Mussolini, six times the size of the real one.
From Slate ● Jun. 11, 2026
Of four documented assassination attempts on Il Duce, Violet came the closest.
From BBC ● Apr. 7, 2026
Duce went on to appear in an episode of Running Wild, Brooks's next big hit - where he switched channels to ITV for a sitcom about a former Teddy Boy going through a mid-life crisis.
From BBC ● Aug. 10, 2025
They were sealed with the sacred seal of the Curia, and each bore the inscription: "A Marino Grimani, Duce; e alla Republica Veneta."
From A Golden Book of Venice by Turnbull, Lawrence, Mrs.
She also pro- duces food and spirit events across the country.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 9, 2022
In the lead-up to trial, Burr, taking aim at his accusers, moved for a subpoena duces tecum directed at Jefferson.
From Reuters ● Jul. 9, 2020
Enforcement of a pretrial subpoena duces tecum must necessarily be committed to the sound discretion of the trial court since the necessity for the subpoena most often turns upon a determination of factual issues.
From MSNBC ● Jul. 22, 2015
Accordingly, we cannot conclude that the District Court erred in authorizing the issuance of the subpoena duces tecum.
From MSNBC ● Jul. 22, 2015
Evil always going to jail despite habeas corpuses, writs, and duces tecums.
From Erik Dorn by Hecht, Ben
A life of innocence was regarded as a life of ill-nature —Innocentia pro malivolentiâ duci caepit.
From Conspiracy of Catiline and the Jurgurthine War by Watson, John Selby
The gold medal of General Greene represents the head of that general, with this legend: nathanieli green, egregio duci, comitia americana.
From The Medallic History of the United States of America 1776-1876 by Jacquemart, Jules-Ferdinand
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.
