Meaning & use
DUPLO
Last updated
Meanings
noununcountabletrademark
A brand of large plastic building bricks made for very young children.
Grammar: Usually uncountable as a material or toy set: some DUPLO, a box of DUPLO.
Patterns
- a box of DUPLO
- play with DUPLO
The baby got a box of DUPLO for her first birthday.
DUPLO bricks are too big for a child to swallow.
He still plays with DUPLO, but he will move on to small LEGO soon.
nouncountabletrademark
A single large brick of this brand.
Grammar: Countable when you mean one brick: a DUPLO, two DUPLOs.
Patterns
- a DUPLO brick
She stacked one DUPLO on top of another.
I found a red DUPLO under the sofa.
Word forms
| plural | DUPLOs |
|---|
Common combinations
- a box of DUPLO
- We keep a box of DUPLO in the playroom.
- DUPLO bricks
- DUPLO bricks are safe for toddlers.
- play with DUPLO
- The children played with DUPLO all afternoon.
- a DUPLO set
- This DUPLO set comes with a small train.
Synonyms and how they differ
- building blocks
- A general term for any toy bricks, not a brand name.
- LEGO
- The same company's smaller bricks, meant for older children; DUPLO is the larger version.
Commonly confused: DUPLO or LEGO? DUPLO or duplex?
DUPLO vs LEGO
LEGO is the standard small brick; DUPLO is the bigger version for children under about five.
DUPLO vs duplex
A duplex is a two-part house or apartment, not a toy; the words sound a little similar.
Practice
Which sentence uses 'DUPLO' in the most natural way?
Choose one answer.
DUPLO is a toy brick for small children, so building a tower fits. The other options use it as a tool, a writing surface or a food, which is wrong.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “DUPLO”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.