derby
part of speech
noun (derby, derbies)
meaning for a pupil
1) A derby is a sports match between two local teams from the same city or area, which is often very exciting. tree →
2) A derby is a famous horse race; the Derby in England is run at Epsom, and the Kentucky Derby is in the USA. tree →
3) (USA) A derby is a hard, round, black hat with a narrow brim, called a bowler hat in the UK. tree →
4) A derby is any race or contest open to many people, such as a soapbox derby or roller derby. tree →
5) Derby (with a capital D) is a city in England. tree →
sense in the lessons
In sport talk, a derby game means a big local rivalry, such as two football clubs from the same city. In the USA, children race homemade go-karts in a soapbox derby. In stories, a man in a derby hat looks old-fashioned. Common phrases: «local derby», «the Kentucky Derby», «soapbox derby», «roller derby», «derby day».
examples
- The Manchester derby is the biggest match of the year for our family. tree →
- Thousands watched the horses run in the Derby. tree →
- Grandpa wore a derby hat in the old photo. tree →
- Our class built a car for the soapbox derby. tree →
- My aunt plays roller derby on skates. tree →
- The derby ended in a draw, two all. tree →
- Derby is a city in the East Midlands of England. tree →
note
Plural: derbies. Pronunciation trap: in the UK, «derby» is said DAR-bee; in the USA it is said DUR-bee. The horse race is named after an Earl of Derby. «Bowler hat» (UK) = «derby» (USA).
In the corpora
- The biscuit tin in Derby was empty.
- Derbies are games between local rivals; rivalry is fine as banter, not as fights or hate.
Trees and pragmatics
Every meaning and example of «derby» parsed by Mova, each sentence with its dependency tree and frames.