duel

6 definitions • 10 examples

in the past, a formal fight using guns or swords, arranged between two people as a way of deciding an argument:

fight a duel over The two men fought a duel over the lady.

challenged to a duel The composer Strauss was once challenged to a duel.

a difficult competition in which both sides show a lot of effort:

duel for Rival graffiti artists spray-paint over each other's names in a duel for supremacy.

Polls show that the two candidates are in a close duel for the Republican nomination.

locked in a duel The two boxers are locked in a duel for the championship title.

In the past, when two people duelled , they had a formal fight, using guns or swords, in order to decide an argument:

He duelled with a sword when his ammunition ran out.

to compete against someone in a race, game, or competition:

For three-quarters of the race the pair duelled at the front.

duel for The two men are duelling for a place in the team.

to argue with someone:

duel over I can see now why people have duelled over questions of attribution.

He'd spent long hours verbally dueling with Senate Democrats.

a formal fight, using guns or swords (= weapons with long, sharp blades), arranged esp. in the past between two people to decide an argument