deuce
Pluraldeuces (some meanings)
- 1A tied score in tennis and similar games, when a player needs two points in a row to win.
The game was at deuce, and everyone in the crowd held their breath.
Our ping-pong game went to deuce, so I needed two more points in a row.
UsageNo a or the: the game went to deuce.
Note
- 2A playing card with two symbols on it. A normal deck has four of them.
I was hoping for an ace, but I got a deuce.
She put down the deuce of hearts and smiled.
UsageSay the deuce of hearts.
Similartwo
Note
- 3The number 2, which comes after 1 and before 3.
He chose the deuce as his jersey number when he joined the team.
In golf she got a deuce on one hole by hitting the ball only two times.
Similartwo
- 4A piece of poop, sometimes called a number two.
The puppy left a deuce on the kitchen floor again.
Somebody dropped a deuce in the toilet and didn't flush.
UsageOften drop a deuce. It is a joking, rude word.
Note
- 5A hand sign made by holding up two fingers in a V, also called a peace sign.
On his way out of the party, he threw up deuces and smiled.
My little brother flashes deuces in every selfie he takes.
UsageOften throw up deuces: make the peace sign.
- 6
Less common meanings
- 7A two on a die, or a roll of the dice that adds up to two.
I rolled both dice and got a deuce, so I moved only two squares.
He needed a big number, but his dice came up a deuce.
Similartwo
Note
- 8Something that is hard or awkward to deal with.
Fixing that old bike was a deuce of a job.
We had a deuce of a time with the tent in the wind.
UsageSay a deuce of a time or a deuce of a mess.
Similardevil
- 9
- 10A coin worth two pennies.
Note
- 11A Ford car from the year 1932.
- 12In a restaurant, a table for two people.
- 13Two-barrel carburetors, engine parts that mix air and fuel, used in the phrase three deuces.
- 14A prison sentence that lasts two years.
Practice
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Origins
From an old French word meaning "two", from Latin duo.
Checked 31 Oct 2026 · 2 facts
- Deuce derives from an Old French word meaning “two”. en.wiktionary.org
- The Old French word ultimately derives from Latin duo. en.wiktionary.org
Its origin is uncertain; it may be linked to old words for a ghost or for God.
Checked 31 Oct 2026 · 3 facts
- The origin of deuce meaning the Devil is uncertain, with competing proposed derivations. en.wiktionary.org
- It may be linked to old words for a ghost. en.wiktionary.org
- It may be linked to an old word for God. en.wiktionary.org