duke
noun
(in Continental Europe) the male ruler of a duchy; the sovereign of a small state.
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duke
1 American
[dook, dyook]
/ duk, djuk /
noun
-
dukes
plural
-
(in Continental Europe) the male ruler of a duchy; the sovereign of a small state.
-
a British nobleman holding the highest hereditary title outside the royal family, ranking immediately below a prince and above a marquis; a member of the highest rank of the British peerage.
-
a nobleman of corresponding rank in certain other countries.
-
a cultivated hybrid of the sweet and sour cherry.
-
Slang. dukes, fists; hands.
Put up your dukes.
verb (used with object)
duked,
duking
idioms
Duke
2
American
[dook, dyook]
/ duk, djuk /
noun
-
Benjamin Newton, 1855–1929, and his brother, James Buchanan, 1856–1925, U.S. industrialists.
-
a male given name.
duke
British
/ djuːk /
noun
-
a nobleman of high rank: in the British Isles standing above the other grades of the nobility
-
the prince or ruler of a small principality or duchy
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of duke
First recorded in 1100–50; Middle English duke, duc, late Old English duc, from Old French duc, dus, dux, from Medieval Latin dux “hereditary ruler of a small state,” Latin: “leader”; see dux; duke def. 5 dukes (in the sense “fists”) of unclear derivation and perhaps of distinct origin
Explanation
A duke is a member of a royal or noble group. In some places, dukes rule over certain regions, while in others duke is just an honorary title. In the U.K., a duke inherits his title from his parents. Prince William, for example, is the Duke of Cambridge, while his father Prince Charles is the Duke of Cornwall and Rothesay. The equivalent title for a woman is duchess. Informally, duke has a very different meaning in the U.S. — if you "duke it out," you have a fight, and to "put up your dukes" means to clench your fists and get ready to punch.
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:
Is the Duke de Rohan’s niece murderously insane, as he claims, or is the duke himself deluded?
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 9, 2026
Awards season is around the corner, with opponents ready to duke it out in the ring of swanky luncheons and Hollywood hobnobbing.
From Salon ● Sep. 9, 2026
Byfield had originally obtained the post after selling a copy of his military memoir to the duke while employed as a tollkeeper.
From Science Daily ● Sep. 7, 2026
The duke had sought to overturn a decision that had downgraded his security after he stopped being a working royal and moved to the US.
From BBC ● Aug. 26, 2026
“Her Majesty already has a list of girls deemed appropriate—” The duke halted, remembering whom he spoke to, and Kaltain batted her eyelashes at him.
From "Throne of Glass" by Sarah J. Maas
Dr Gavin Yamey, a professor of global health and public policy at Duke University in the US, criticised the proposal.
From BBC ● Nov. 5, 2026
This season, No. 1 Miami features the country’s most accurate passer—a transfer from Duke.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 1, 2026
Nate Sheppard ran for three of his school-record five touchdowns in the first half as Duke rolled past Boston College 47-2 on Saturday.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 31, 2026
Duke, the tobacco magnate who started Charlotte, N.C., power producer Duke Energy, recognized the hydroelectric potential of Saguenay early in the 20th century.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 27, 2026
But then he thought about what he was about to do: stand in for Duke.
From "Dog Squad" by Chris Grabenstein
And, after playing all those Shakespearean princes and dukes on the London stage, Stewart became fiercely proud of him, and of the show's ability to connect with younger audiences.
From BBC ● Oct. 29, 2026
The company raised its dividend in April, and some strategists see the potential for a special dividend on the horizon, as the Costco dukes it out with the government over tariffs.
From Barron's ● May 28, 2026
Meanwhile, Abdulmejid and his family lived a glitzy Riviera life, attending dances, we are told, with “four or five kings and any number of princes, dukes and counts.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 4, 2026
I don't know a single person who doesn't, and I will put up my dukes for Ava.
From Salon ● Feb. 14, 2023
She told him that in the Renaissance the most famous dukes were known for their aesthetic taste and patronage of the arts, and this idea appealed to him.
From "Cat's Eye" by Margaret Atwood
So for nearly 170 miles, the greatest cyclists from the sport’s heartlands duked it out around the roads of Quebec.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 27, 2026
The Syrian military laid siege while the factions duked it out inside Yarmouk.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 9, 2025
After losing to world champion Littler in last year's final, Humphries triumphed 11-8 in the repeat as the world's top two duked it out at O2 Arena.
From BBC ● May 29, 2025
As the insects groomed each other, the six types of fungi duked it out among themselves, with no clear winner taking over, the team reports this month in Nature Ecology & Evolution.
From Science Magazine ● Feb. 9, 2023
The mermaid leuch, her brief was gane, And kelpie's blast was blawin', Fu' low she duked, ne'er raise again, For deep, deep was the fawin'.
From The Book of Old English Ballads by Hamilton Wright Mabie
The moves result in part from the need to stand out as Big Law enters a hypercompetitive era, with fewer, larger firms duking it out for global business.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 14, 2026
The primary bedroom also comes with a fireplace, as well as an expansive walk-in closet and a spa bathroom, perfect for relaxation after a long day of duking it out on air.
From MarketWatch ● Apr. 8, 2026
"There is still a transfer fee for anyone who wants to negotiate and we are duking it out with the big boys in France like La Rochelle," said Sanderson.
From BBC ● Jan. 9, 2026
Rather than the long slog of duking it out at a disadvantage to other departments during a national police shortage, Seattle could immediately reduce officer workload and shift time to proactive policing.
From Seattle Times ● May 30, 2024
For a moment, from his vantage point, it looked as if maybe his boys and the Brits were all alone out front, duking it out.
From "The Boys in the Boat: Nine Americans and Their Epic Quest for Gold at the 1936 Berlin Olympics" by Daniel James Brown
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Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
