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definitions

duke

[dook, dyook]
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SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR duke ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

(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.
dukes, Slang. fists; hands: Put up your dukes.

verb (used with object), duked, duk·ing.

Slang. to hit or thrash with the fists (sometimes followed by out): He duked me because he said I had insulted him. The bully said he was going to duke out anyone who disagreed.

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RELATED WORDS

slug, hit, mix, buffet, scrap, sock, slap, strike, cuff, clout, wallop, spar, whack, duke

Idioms

    duke it out, to fight, especially with the fists; do battle: The adversaries were prepared to duke it out in the alley.

Origin of duke

1100–50; Middle English duke, duc, late Old English duc < Old French duc, dus, dux < Medieval Latin dux hereditary ruler of a small state, Latin: leader; see dux; dukes “fists” of unclear derivation and perhaps of distinct orig.
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for duking

Contemporary Examples of duking

  • Republican presidential candidates are duking it out online.

    The Daily Beast logo
    The Social-Media Primary

    October 16, 2011

  • In a London courtroom, Russian strongmen Roman Abramovich and Boris Berezovsky are duking it out over billions.

    The Daily Beast logo
    When Russian Oligarchs Attack

    William Underhill

    October 4, 2011

  • It would be pointless to spend the next few months duking it out with her only to lose on Caucus Day.

    The Daily Beast logo
    Mitt's Iowa Schizophrenia

    Andrew Romano

    August 11, 2011

  • While soccer stars are duking it out in South Africa, math nerds matched wits in Germany.

    The Daily Beast logo
    The Other World Cup

    Alex Bellos

    June 11, 2010

  • Where is this raw and savage land where Pit Bulls and Wheatens are duking it out?

    The Daily Beast logo
    Get Rid of Pit Bulls

    Charles Leerhsen

    March 12, 2010

British Dictionary definitions for duking

duke

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
Related formsRelated adjective: ducal

Word Origin for duke

C12: from Old French duc, from Latin dux leader
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Word Origin and History for duking

duke

n.

early 12c., "sovereign prince," from Old French duc (12c.) and directly from Latin dux (genitive ducis) "leader, commander," in Late Latin "governor of a province," from ducere "to lead," from PIE *deuk- "to lead" (cf. Old English togian "to pull, drag," Old High German ziohan "to pull," Old English togian "to draw, drag," Middle Welsh dygaf "I draw").

Applied in English to "nobleman of the highest rank" probably first mid-14c., ousting native earl. Also used to translate various European titles (e.g. Russian knyaz).

Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper