tyke
1 Americannoun
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a child, especially a small boy.
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any small child.
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a cur; mongrel.
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Chiefly Scot. a low, contemptible fellow; boor.
noun
noun
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a dog, esp a mongrel
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informal a small or cheeky child: used esp in affectionate reproof
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dialect a rough ill-mannered person
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Also called: Yorkshire tyke. slang a person from Yorkshire
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slang a Roman Catholic
Etymology
Origin of tyke1
1350–1400; Middle English < Old Norse tīk bitch
Origin of tyke2
1940–45; compare Ulster English Taig contemptuous term for a Roman Catholic Irishman, archaic English teague derogatory name for an Irishman < Irish Tadhg a common personal name
Explanation
A tyke is a child, especially a small one. A nursery school is full of tykes. Little kids are a handful, as all parents and teachers know. Maybe that's why there are some slangy words for them, such as rugrat and tyke. Tyke is a very informal word: a letter from the principal wouldn't call a kid a tyke. However, an uncle or friend of the family might say, "How are you tykes doing?" This word is a little old-fashioned, but it's still used.
Vocabulary lists containing tyke
My Brother Sam is Dead
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Gathering Blue
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Full of Beans
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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.
The Waterloo, Iowa, Daily Courier wrote that the Gower Gulch cowboys put out a statement about how menacing Tyke had been for years.
From Los Angeles Times • Jan. 31, 2023
Do these signs prove that she’s not like the other mommies at the various enrichment classes, Book Babies, Tyke Hyke, Gymnastic Jam and more?
From Washington Post • Jul. 26, 2021
Senior Andrew Cunningham of Bonney Lake won his second state title in three years, outlasting Enumclaw junior Tyke Reid 4-1 in the 120-pound final.
From Seattle Times • Feb. 19, 2012
Bradford, Leeds and more recently the Hull clubs have led the Tyke challenge throughout the Super League era, but now it is Huddersfield and Castleford who are joint top of the table.
From The Guardian • Mar. 14, 2011
"Ditty's a pretty good sailor himself, I notice," went on Tyke.
From Doubloons—and the Girl by Forbes, John Maxwell
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.
