deuce

1 of 2

noun

ˈdüs How to pronounce deuce (audio)
 also  ˈdyüs
plural deuces
Synonyms of deucenext
1
a(1)
: the face of a die that bears two spots
(2)
: a playing card bearing an index number two
b
: a throw of the dice yielding two points
2
: a tie in tennis after each side has scored 40 requiring two consecutive points by one side to win
3
a
: devil, dickens
—used chiefly as a mild oath
what the deuce is he up to now
b
: something notable of its kind
a deuce of a mess
4
informal : the fecal matter expelled during one bowel movement
—usually used in the phrase drop a deuce
If you live in new dorms and you need to drop a deuce in private, just walk down to the first floor and use the bathroom that is traditionally reserved for parents and visitors.—Veronica Sirotic

deuce

2 of 2

verb

deuced; deucing

transitive verb

: to bring the score of (a tennis game or set) to deuce

Examples of deuce in a Sentence

Noun She beat her opponent after eight deuces.
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Noun
South won and led a second diamond, and when West followed with the deuce, dummy played the eight. —Frank Stewart, The Mercury News, 13 Nov. 2024 Today’s West leads the deuce of spades against 3NT: jack, king, ace. —Frank Stewart, The Mercury News, 5 Oct. 2024
Verb
If the player with advantage loses the point, the score returns to deuce. —NBC News, 28 July 2024 The last game of the set was the best of the final, hard-fought, going to deuce three times. —Gerald Marzorati, The New Yorker, 27 Jan. 2024 See all Example Sentences for deuce 

Word History

Etymology

Noun

Middle English dwsse, dews, dewes, borrowed from Anglo-French deus "two" (continental Old French dous, masculine accusative), going back to Latin duōs, accusative of duo; (sense 3) perhaps of independent origin; (sense 4) probably alluding to number two — more at two entry 1

Note: In expressions such as "a deuce on him," "a deuce take me," current from the 1650's, deuce is clearly a euphemism for "devil." The reason for the choice of deuce rather than another word has inspired several explanations, none entirely satisfactory. The editors of the Oxford English Dictionary, first edition, apparently following an article by A. L. Mayhew (The Academy, vol. 41, no. 1030, January 30, 1892, pp. 11-12) propose that deuce was borrowed from Low German duus in the same sense: "compare German daus, Low German duus, used in precisely the same way, in the exclamatory der daus! was der daus …! Low German de duus! wat de duus!" A Low German source is not specified by the editors, but Daus is entered in Grimm's Deutsches Wörterbuch with the meaning "deuce" in cards and dice, and as a euphemism for "devil" (Teufel, Low German Düvel). The parallel with English deuce is noted, but there is no suggestion that the English word was borrowed from German. This is indeed a weakness of Mayhew's hypothesis: the parallelism connecting the two languages does not necessarily imply borrowing of the word itself, and borrowing would not in any case explain why in particular duus/daus developed a secondary meaning.

Verb

derivative of deuce entry 1

First Known Use

Noun

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a(1)

Verb

1919, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of deuce was in the 15th century

Phrases Containing deuce

Dictionary Entries Near deuce

Deucalion

deuce

deuce-ace

See More Nearby Entries 

Cite this Entry

“Deuce.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/deuce. Accessed 22 Nov. 2024.

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Kids Definition

deuce

noun
ˈd(y)üs
1
a
: the face of a die that bears two spots
b
: a playing card bearing the number two
c
: a throw of dice resulting in two points
2
: a tie in tennis after each side has scored 40
3
: devil entry 1 sense 1, dickens
—used chiefly as a mild oath
Etymology

Noun

from early French deus "two," from Latin duos (same meaning), from duo "two" — related to dual

More from Merriam-Webster on deuce

Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for deuce

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about deuce

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