1
: a sovereign male ruler of a continental European duchy
2
: a nobleman of the highest hereditary rank
especially
: a member of the highest grade of the British peerage
Examples of duke in a Sentence
Noun
Put up your dukes and fight, you coward!
Recent Examples on the Web
Daniel Immerwahr, New Yorker, 4 May 2026
The Jets went into last year’s training camp prepared to let an undrafted rookie (Caden Davis) and another young kicker (Harrison Mevis) duke it out.
—Zack Rosenblatt, New York Times, 30 Apr. 2026
Jace Frederick, Twin Cities, 19 May 2026
While the Detroit Pistons and Cleveland Cavaliers duked it out in a physical series that the Cavs won in seven games on Sunday night, the Knicks sat at home awaiting their next opponent.
—Lev Akabas, Sportico.com, 18 May 2026
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Noun
Burnard and O’Shaughnessy point out that, whereas Britain regularly sent nobles to govern the Caribbean colonies—and dukes and earls to Ireland—the men appointed to administer the thirteen colonies more often lacked titles and were paid less.
—Daniel Immerwahr, New Yorker, 4 May 2026
The Jets went into last year’s training camp prepared to let an undrafted rookie (Caden Davis) and another young kicker (Harrison Mevis) duke it out.
—Zack Rosenblatt, New York Times, 30 Apr. 2026
Verb
Especially not when compared to the current standard in the West — the two teams duking it out at an absurdly high level in this year’s conference finals, Oklahoma City and San Antonio.
—Jace Frederick, Twin Cities, 19 May 2026
While the Detroit Pistons and Cleveland Cavaliers duked it out in a physical series that the Cavs won in seven games on Sunday night, the Knicks sat at home awaiting their next opponent.
—Lev Akabas, Sportico.com, 18 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for duke
Cite this Entry
“Duke.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/duke. Accessed 21 May. 2026.
Copy CitationBiographical Definition
Duke
biographical name
ˈdük 
ˈdyük
Benjamin Newton 1855–1929 and his brother James Buchanan 1856–1925 American tobacco industrialists
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