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 adventure-seeking tyke immediately turned and took a step toward the outfield before his pops quickly gathered him for some photos.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 14, 2025
Caesar salad is a nostalgia-inducing dish: I remember being a very little tyke and having my first Caesar and being astonished at the flavor.
From Salon ● Sep. 9, 2023
When he was 3, a photographer in their town said she should take the blond, blue-eyed tyke to Hollywood.
From Washington Post ● Dec. 7, 2022
Maple Leaf-based historian Peter Blecha, though just a tyke at the time, was “there” to revel in it.
From Seattle Times ● Aug. 29, 2021
She crept down at night with the key in her hand and visited the tyke.
From "Gathering Blue" by Lois Lowry
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Get a wordDefinitions 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.
