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 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 Some depicted saints, knights or other human figures, while others showed animal figures, like the dragon. Moira Ritter, Miami Herald, 4 Mar. 2024 Saturday’s festivities included dragon dancing, a Chinese performing arts show and vendors from Asian communities across Sacramento. Emma Hall, Sacramento Bee, 24 Feb. 2024 Furthermore, entertainment became plentiful with shows of dragon and lion dances, as well as a lantern festival. Marina Johnson, The Indianapolis Star, 23 Feb. 2024 People born in the year of the dragon are seen as charismatic, intelligent, confident, powerful, naturally lucky and gifted, says Yang. Olivia Munson, The Courier-Journal, 23 Feb. 2024 One case involved a zookeeper who was bitten by a Komodo dragon. Scott Travers, Forbes, 22 Feb. 2024 There are no dragons here, just juicy political intrigue, lush visuals and instantly memorable performances. Kelly Lawler, USA TODAY, 28 Feb. 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 19 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

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