dragon

noun

drag·​on ˈdra-gən 

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

Dragon : draco

5

: something or someone formidable or baneful

dragonish

ˈdra-gə-nish 

adjective

Examples of dragon in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

The Na’vi bond with and ride dragon-type creatures, but Jake Sully manages to ride a great Toruk, which is, like, a very big and special dragon-type creature. —Rebecca Alter, Vulture, 18 Dec. 2025

In the central bearded dragon, native to Australia, warm temperatures can turn chromosomally male lizards into females. —Elizabeth Preston, Scientific American, 16 Dec. 2025

Those include a stainless-steel dragon sculpture suspended over the ship’s World Promenade and a Pan-Asian Street Food venue serving Southeast Asian cuisine. —Nathan Diller, USA Today, 15 Dec. 2025

Winter is the reward that nature gives desert dwellers for surviving the dragon-breath days of summer. —Roger Naylor, AZCentral.com, 12 Dec. 2025

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

Phrases Containing dragon

• dragon fruit
• dragon lady
• dragon's blood
• dragon's teeth
• green dragon
• Komodo dragon

Rhymes for dragon

• agone
• lagan
• waggon
• wagon
• anlagen
• bandwagon
• snapdragon

Kids Definition

dragon

noun

drag·​on ˈdrag-ən 

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