"duels" in the noun sense

1. duel, affaire d'honneur

a prearranged fight with deadly weapons by two people (accompanied by seconds) in order to settle a quarrel over a point of honor

2. duel

any struggle between two skillful opponents (individuals or groups)

"duels" in the verb sense

1. duel

fight a duel, as over one's honor or a woman

"In the 19th century, men often dueled over small matters"

Source: WordNet® (An amazing lexical database of English)

Princeton University "About WordNet®."
WordNet®. Princeton University. 2010.

View WordNet® License