Illustration of derby
- derby 4
plural derbies
1
: any of several horse races held annually and usually restricted to three-year-olds
2
: a race or contest open to all comers or to a specified category of contestants
a bicycle derby
3
British
: a game between local sports teams
… even when both clubs were going through trophy droughts, the derby was still treated like a European Cup final by the fans.—
The Manchester (England) Evening News
The Manchester (England) Evening News4
: a stiff felt hat with dome-shaped crown and narrow brim
Examples of derby in a Sentence
a derby between Manchester United and Manchester City
Recent Examples on the Web
The incident happened in the 15th minute of the Barcelona derby on February 9 when León and Caracas were jostling for position in the penalty area.
—Matias Grez, CNN Money, 17 Apr. 2025
This week Liverpool suffered a rare league defeat on Sunday, beaten 3-2 at Fulham in a match where Salah was kept quiet for the second time in a week after the 1-0 derby win against Everton.
—Anantaajith Raghuraman, New York Times, 12 Apr. 2025
Among the crowd were roller derby athletes, volleyball players, track stars, parents, nurses, doctors, church leaders, school board members, teachers and academics.
—Jessica Garrison, Los Angeles Times, 1 Apr. 2025
Yildiz hadn’t scored for Juve since the derby win against Torino on January 11, a period of well over two months, and had fallen down the pecking order under Motta towards the end.
—Emmet Gates, Forbes.com, 31 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for derby
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Matias Grez, CNN Money, 17 Apr. 2025
This week Liverpool suffered a rare league defeat on Sunday, beaten 3-2 at Fulham in a match where Salah was kept quiet for the second time in a week after the 1-0 derby win against Everton.
—Anantaajith Raghuraman, New York Times, 12 Apr. 2025
Among the crowd were roller derby athletes, volleyball players, track stars, parents, nurses, doctors, church leaders, school board members, teachers and academics.
—Jessica Garrison, Los Angeles Times, 1 Apr. 2025
Yildiz hadn’t scored for Juve since the derby win against Torino on January 11, a period of well over two months, and had fallen down the pecking order under Motta towards the end.
—Emmet Gates, Forbes.com, 31 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for derby
Cite this Entry
“Derby.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/derby. Accessed 25 Apr. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
derby
noun
der·by
ˈdər-bē 
especially British ˈdär-
plural derbies
1
: a horse race usually for three-year-olds held annually
2
: a race or contest open to all comers
a fishing derby
3
: a stiff felt hat with dome-shaped top and narrow brim
Etymology
named for Edward Stanley, 12th earl of Derby (a county and town in England)
Word Origin
The first horse race called a Derby was named after an English nobleman named Edward Stanley, the Earl of Derby (1752–1834). The Earl instituted the race in 1780, and it continues to be run to the present day on the first Wednesday in June at Epsom Downs, a racetrack south of London. The name Derby has become attached to other races usually restricted to three-year-old horses, such as the Kentucky Derby. It is used as well of races that have nothing to do with horses, such as the Pinewood Derby run by the Cub Scouts. In the 1800s derby was also the name given in the U.S. to a dome-shaped hat called a bowler in England. The reason why the hat was given this name is uncertain, and nothing seems to link it with horse races.
Geographical Definition
Derby
geographical name
Der·by
ˈdär-bē
chiefly U.S. ˈdər-
city on the Derwent River in Derbyshire, north central England population 252,000
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