2 N‑COUNT A duct is a tube in your body which carries a liquid such as tears or bile. □ …tear ducts.
du ct tape N‑UNCOUNT Duct tape is a strong sticky tape that you use to join things together or to cover cracks in something. □ …a broken lid held on with duct tape.
dud /dʌ d/ (duds ) ADJ [ADJ n] Dud means not working properly or not successful. [INFORMAL ] □ He replaced a dud valve. ● N‑COUNT Dud is also a noun. □ The mine was a dud.
dude /djuː d, [AM ] duː d/ (dudes ) N‑COUNT A dude is a man. [AM , INFORMAL ] □ My doctor is a real cool dude.
du de ranch (dude ranches ) N‑COUNT A dude ranch is an American ranch where people can have holidays during which they can do activities such as riding or camping.
dudg|eon /dʌ dʒ ə n/ PHRASE If you say that someone is in high dudgeon , you are emphasizing that they are very angry or unhappy about something. [EMPHASIS ] □ Washington businesses are in high dudgeon over the plan.
due ◆◆◇ /djuː , [AM ] duː / (dues )
1 PHRASE If an event is due to something, it happens or exists as a direct result of that thing. □ [+ to ] The country's economic problems are largely due to the weakness of the recovery.
2 PHRASE You can say due to to introduce the reason for something happening. Some speakers of English believe that it is not correct to use due to in this way. □ [+ to ] Due to the large volume of letters he receives Dave regrets he is unable to answer queries personally.
3 ADJ [usu v-link ADJ , oft ADJ to-inf] If something is due at a particular time, it is expected to happen, be done, or arrive at that time. □ The results are due at the end of the month. □ Mr Carter is due in London on Monday. □ …customers who paid later than twenty days after the due date.
4 ADJ [ADJ n] Due attention or consideration is the proper, reasonable, or deserved amount of it under the circumstances. □ After due consideration it was decided to send him away to live with foster parents.
5 ADJ [v-link ADJ ] Something that is due , or that is due to someone, is owed to them, either as a debt or because they have a right to it. □ I was sent a cheque for £1,525 and advised that no further pension was due. □ [+ to ] I've got some leave due to me and I was going to Tasmania for a fortnight. ● PREP Due is also a preposition. □ He had not taken a summer holiday that year but had accumulated the leave due him.
6 ADJ If someone is due for something, that thing is planned to happen or be given to them now, or very soon, often after they have been waiting for it for a long time. □ [+ for ] He is not due for release until 2020. ● PREP Due is also a preposition. □ I reckon I'm due one of my travels.
7 N‑PLURAL [oft poss N ] Dues are sums of money that you give regularly to an organization that you belong to, for example a social club or trade union, in order to pay for being a member. □ Only 18 of the U.N.'s 180 members had paid their dues by the January deadline.
8 ADV Due is used before the words 'north', 'south', 'east', or 'west' to indicate that something is in exactly the direction mentioned. □ They headed due north.
9 PHRASE If you say that something will happen or take place in due course , you mean that you cannot make it happen any quicker and it will happen when the time is right for it. □ In due course the baby was born.
10 PHRASE You can say ' to give him his due ', or ' giving him his due ' when you are admitting that there are some good things about someone, even though there are things that you do not like about them. □ To give Linda her due, she had tried to encourage John in his school work.
11 PHRASE You can say ' with due respect ' when you are about to disagree politely with someone. [POLITENESS ] □ With all due respect, you're wrong.
duel /djuː əl, [AM ] duː -/ (duels , duelling , duelled ) in AM, use dueling , dueled 1 N‑COUNT A duel is a formal fight between two people in which they use guns or swords in order to settle a quarrel. □ He had killed a man in a duel.
2 VERB To duel means to fight a duel or be involved in a conflict. □ [V ] We duelled for two years and Peterson made the most of it, playing us off against each other. □ [V -ing] …two silver French duelling pistols. [Also V + with , V ]
duet /djuːe t, [AM ] duː-/ (duets ) N‑COUNT A duet is a piece of music sung or played by two people.
duff /dʌ f/ (duffer , duffest ) ADJ If you describe something as duff , you mean it is useless, broken, or of poor quality. [BRIT , INFORMAL , DISAPPROVAL ] □ Sometimes you have to take a duff job when you need the money.
duf|fel /dʌ f ə l/ (duffels )
1 N‑COUNT A duffel is the same as a duffel coat .
2 N‑COUNT A duffel is the same as a duffel bag .
duf|fel bag /dʌ f ə l bæg/ (duffel bags ) also duffle bag N‑COUNT A duffel bag is a bag shaped like a cylinder and made of strong fabric such as canvas. A duffel bag has a string at one end that is used to close the bag and to carry it with.
duf|fel coat /dʌ f ə l koʊt/ (duffel coats ) also duffle coat N‑COUNT A duffel coat is a heavy coat with a hood and long buttons that fasten with loops.
duf|fer /dʌ fə r / (duffers ) N‑COUNT If you describe someone as a duffer , you mean that they are very bad at doing something. [BRIT , INFORMAL , OLD-FASHIONED , DISAPPROVAL ]