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DictionaryduelOne-on-one contest
noun / verb

duel

DOO-uhl/ˈduːəl/

A fight or contest between two opponents.

The two swordsmen duel while their seconds watch from a distance.

Two early nineteenth-century French gentlemen face each other in a formal sword duel, their blades crossed, while two unarmed seconds stand back as witnesses.
Etymology
duelLatinwar

Latin duellum meant 'war.' Its narrower meaning of one-on-one combat apparently arose through a fancied connection with duo, 'two,' eventually yielding the formal, prearranged fight.

In context

Vox1:48
the smallsword, a fashionable weapon often used in a duel to settle disputes.
Fencing, explained

More examples

  • They fought a duel at dawn.
  • The candidates dueled over the budget.
  • The finalists are dueling for first place.

Forms

duel · duels · dueled · dueling

Similar words

contest
Can involve more than two opponents.
fight
Need not be formal or agreed upon.