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 In 2006, workers at two British zoos were shocked to find that their female Komodo dragons had given birth despite being isolated from males. Cody Cottier, Discover Magazine, 22 Mar. 2024 The Akron Zoo is taking a closer look at an incident involving one of its two Komodo dragons. Kelli Bender, Peoplemag, 19 Mar. 2024 The dragon’s scales are enameled, with the lower half of the body decorated using paillonné enamel – tiny pieces of gold leaf (paillons) are suspended between layers of translucent enamel, forming the floral monogram. Carol Besler, Robb Report, 12 Mar. 2024 Simply soak the discoveries in water before chiseling away to reveal mini astronauts and dragons. Erica Puisis, Parents, 9 Mar. 2024 The actress is out and about promoting her upcoming Netflix swords and dragons movie Damsel, which drops on Friday (March 8). Watch Millie Bobby Brown on the Kelly Clarkson Show below. Gil Kaufman, Billboard, 6 Mar. 2024 Hagen follows the story of the soldier Hagen, the legendary dragon slayer Siegfried, the princess warrior Kriemhild, and the magical Valkyrie queen Brunhild in a tale of love, family, power and war that ends —this is a Germanic tale after all — catastrophically. Scott Roxborough, The Hollywood Reporter, 28 Feb. 2024 Elodie’s fight against the dragon has a strong whiff of Things’ otherworldly hells. Tom Gliatto, Peoplemag, 8 Mar. 2024 Doing so explains how the dragon established the pact with a long-ago king (Matt Slack) that has called for so many royal sacrifices. Peter Debruge, Variety, 7 Mar. 2024

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 28 Mar. 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

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!