duel

[ doo-uhl, dyoo- ]
See synonyms for: dueldueledduelingduelled on Thesaurus.com

noun
  1. a prearranged combat between two persons, fought with deadly weapons according to an accepted code of procedure, especially to settle a private quarrel.

  2. any contest between two persons or parties.

verb (used with or without object),du·eled, du·el·ing or (especially British) du·elled, du·el·ling.
  1. to fight in a duel.

Origin of duel

1
1585–95; earlier duell<Medieval Latin duellum,Latin: earlier form of bellum war, probably maintained and given sense “duel” by association with Latin duotwo

Other words from duel

  • du·el·is·tic; especially British, du·el·lis·tic, adjective
  • outduel, verb (used with object), out·du·eled, out·du·el·ing or (especially British) out·du·elled, out·du·el·ling.

Words that may be confused with duel

Words Nearby duel

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use duel in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for duel

duel

/ (ˈdjuːəl) /


noun
  1. a prearranged combat with deadly weapons between two people following a formal procedure in the presence of seconds and traditionally fought until one party was wounded or killed, usually to settle a quarrel involving a point of honour

  2. a contest or conflict between two persons or parties

verbduels, duelling or duelled or US duels, dueling or dueled (intr)
  1. to fight in a duel

  2. to contest closely

Origin of duel

1
C15: from Medieval Latin duellum, from Latin, poetical variant of bellum war; associated by folk etymology with Latin duo two

Derived forms of duel

  • dueller or duellist, noun

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