of, relating to, or characteristic of the natives or inhabitants of the Netherlands or their country or language.
pertaining to or designating the style of painting and subject matter developed in the Netherlands during the 17th century, chiefly characterized by the use of chiaroscuro, muted tones, naturalistic colors or forms, and of genre, landscape, or still-life subjects drawn from contemporary urban and rural life.
of, relating to, or characteristic of the Pennsylvania Dutch.
Archaic. German; Teutonic.
the people of the Netherlands and their immediate descendants elsewhere, collectively.
Also called Netherlandic. the Germanic language of the Netherlands and northern Belgium. D, D.
Obsolete. the German language.
go Dutch, to have each person pay their own expenses: Also go dutch
a dinner where everyone goes Dutch.
in Dutch, in trouble or disfavor (with someone).
in Dutch with the teacher for disturbing the class.
the language of the Netherlands, belonging to the West Germanic branch of the Indo-European family and quite closely related to German and English See also Flemish Afrikaans
(functioning as plural) the natives, citizens, or inhabitants of the Netherlands
See double Dutch
slang in trouble
The idioms go Dutch (related to Dutch treat ) and in Dutch (which uses Dutch to mean “trouble”) are both sometimes perceived as insulting to or by the Dutch. In addition, the adjective Dutch is found in a few other set phrases ( Dutch courage, Dutch gold, and Dutch uncle ) in which it implies that something Dutch is not authentic. Although insulting a particular person or nationality may be unintentional, it is best to be aware that use of these terms is sometimes perceived as offensive to or by the Dutch.
First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English Duch, from Middle Dutch duutsch “Dutch, German(ic),” Old High German diutisc “popular, vulgar (language)” (as opposed to learned Latin), translation of Latin (lingua) vulgāris “popular (language)”
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Born in Dronten and developed entirely within the Dutch system, Ziyech represented the Netherlands at youth level and even received a senior call-up in 2015.
From BBC • Jun. 29, 2026
Dutch fans in Missouri see a nation that is risky and expensive, but vast and bountiful.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 29, 2026
But the relationship between the Dutch and Moroccan football federations has fundamentally changed.
From BBC • Jun. 29, 2026
On Friday, Machado took off in a private plane from Virginia to Curaçao, an autonomous Dutch island 40 miles from Venezuela, on a flight authorized by U.S. authorities, people familiar with the trip said.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 29, 2026
Uncle Dutch says he prayed for the storm to let up, but it got worse and worser.
From "The Seven Wonders of Sassafras Springs" by Betty G. Birney
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
