1
: a combat between two persons
specifically
: a formal combat with weapons fought between two persons in the presence of witnesses
2
: a conflict between antagonistic persons, ideas, or forces
also
: a hard-fought contest between two opponents
dueled or duelled; dueling or duelling
: to fight a duel
: to encounter (an opponent) in a duel
dueler
noun
or dueller
Examples of duel in a Sentence
Noun
They engaged in a duel of wits.
a duel for the title of captain of the team
Verb
He accepted the challenge to duel.
Legislators dueled over the tax increases.
The two runners dueled for the lead.
Recent Examples on the Web
Manuel Veth, Forbes, 16 Mar. 2025
Implementing that into my play, which is being more dynamic, getting into tackles more, winning more duels offensively and defensively.
—Tom Krasovic, San Diego Union-Tribune, 15 Mar. 2025
Siddhant Adlakha, Variety, 24 Feb. 2025
As the judge untangles the dueling narratives, one persists.
—Henry Gass, The Christian Science Monitor, 20 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for duel
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Noun
The 26-year-old right-back covered 11.5 kilometres, had 43 sprints and 59 touches, and 70% of his duels and 100% of his one-v-one situations to help Leipzig secure a crucial 2-0 win in what remains a tight race for the Champions League spots.
—Manuel Veth, Forbes, 16 Mar. 2025
Implementing that into my play, which is being more dynamic, getting into tackles more, winning more duels offensively and defensively.
—Tom Krasovic, San Diego Union-Tribune, 15 Mar. 2025
Verb
These dueling sensations are emphasized by Aleksander Makowski’s score, which veers between waltzing whimsy and haunting woodwinds, a keen cross-cultural blend.
—Siddhant Adlakha, Variety, 24 Feb. 2025
As the judge untangles the dueling narratives, one persists.
—Henry Gass, The Christian Science Monitor, 20 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for duel
Cite this Entry
“Duel.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/duel. Accessed 20 Mar. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
duel
1 of 2 noun
du·el
ˈd(y)ü-əl 
1
: a combat between two persons
especially
: one fought with weapons in the presence of witnesses
2
: a conflict between two opponents
duel
2 of 2 verb
dueled or duelled; dueling or duelling
: to fight in a duel
dueler
noun
or dueller
Etymology
Noun
from Latin duellum "duel," from an archaic form of earlier bellum "war"; revived in the Middle Ages to mean combat between two persons because the du- suggested Latin duo "two"
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