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to duel

to duel

31 7.3
To take part in a formal, arranged fight with weapons against another person
  • verb
  • /ˈduːəl/
translation icon : batirse en duelo
  • Bobby and Girard are dueling each other for the lead.

Examples

  • The two knights agreed to duel at dawn to settle their dispute.

  • How many men did you duel with last night?

  • Are we gonna duel to the death?

  • Those who continued to duel did so under less and less lethal terms.

  • You've been taught how to duel, I presume, yes?

  • Duel to the death.

  • Ian and Windthorne are dueling for the right to Misery's hand.

    Fiction book (1990)
  • After getting his honor hurt, he duels a bunch of merchants who he seems to confuse with bandits ending up in a terrible defeat... for him.

  • In the movie, the main character must duel his rival for the very last time.

  • After the insult, they decided to duel in the nearby meadow with swords.

Synonyms

to battle
vsto duel
372 2.7

To fight against someone or something for a long time

is a short formal one-on-one combat with weapons over honor
to joust
vsto duel
3 7.5

To argue directly with someone in public or in a debate

is an actual one-on-one weapon combat fought to settle matters of honor
to measure swords
vsto duel
  • Literature
9.2

To test each other's skill in a contest, for example in a match or debate

is a formal one-on-one combat using weapons to settle matters of honor

How Violent

to slaughter
  • NSFW
158 5.7
to gladiate
  • Archaic
1 9.9
to duel
31 7.3
to fight
1.0
to scuffle
4 5.1

Surface Forms

duel infinitive
dueled past
dueled past participle
dueling present participle
duels third person singular

Etymology

The verb duel comes from the same root as duo and dual, meaning 'two', so to duel someone is to fight them in a formal one-on-one combat, which is why the verb means to take part in that two-person fight.