dragon

noun

drag·​on ˈdra-gən How to pronounce dragon (audio)
1
archaic : a huge serpent
2
: a mythical animal usually represented as a monstrous winged and scaly serpent or saurian with a crested head and enormous claws
3
: a violent, combative, or very strict person
4
capitalized : draco
5
: something or someone formidable or baneful
dragonish adjective

Examples of dragon in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web The Pout-Pout Fish is the story of an unlikely duo: Mr. Fish (Offerman), a pouty recluse, and Pip (Oyama), a high-energy sea dragon. Andreas Wiseman, Deadline, 24 Oct. 2024 Plus, Ronny Chieng proves pretty handy with a wall phone, there’s a Komodo dragon… Chloe Bennet, Lisa Gilroy, Sullivan Jones, Archie Kao, and Diana Lin also star in the series. Tony Maglio, IndieWire, 22 Oct. 2024 For example, the dragon’s yellow underbelly and tail remained in the same position throughout all the changes. Jess Weatherbed, The Verge, 17 Oct. 2024 In the aristocratic social code where older means better and subtlety is king, the seventeen-thousand-pound topiary dragon commits the fatal crime of announcing wealth suddenly and loudly, a sure sign of it being recently acquired. Sophie Elmhirst, The New Yorker, 17 Oct. 2024 See all Example Sentences for dragon 

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'dragon.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Middle English, from Anglo-French dragun, from Latin dracon-, draco serpent, dragon, from Greek drakōn serpent; akin to Old English torht bright, Greek derkesthai to see, look at

First Known Use

13th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of dragon was in the 13th century

Dictionary Entries Near dragon

Cite this Entry

“Dragon.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/dragon. Accessed 31 Oct. 2024.

Kids Definition

dragon

noun
drag·​on ˈdrag-ən How to pronounce dragon (audio)
1
: an imaginary animal usually pictured as a huge serpent or lizard with wings and large claws
2
capitalized : draco
Etymology

Middle English dragon "dragon," from early French dragun (same meaning), from Latin dracon-, draco "serpent, dragon," from Greek drakōn "serpent" — related to rankle

More from Merriam-Webster on dragon

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