dagger

noun

dag·​ger ˈda-gər 

1

: a sharp pointed knife for stabbing

2

a

: something that resembles a dagger

b

: a character † used as a reference mark or to indicate a death date

daggerlike

ˈda-gər-ˌlīk 

adjective

Phrases

at daggers drawn

: in a state of open hostility or conflict

look daggers or stare daggers

: to stare angrily

they looked daggers at each other across the table

Examples of dagger in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Months earlier, a pair of pedestrians found a 2,500-year-old dagger on a Polish beach, on the coast of the Baltic Sea. —Andrea Margolis, FOXNews.com, 7 Aug. 2025

The cancelation of The Late Show with Stephen Colbert emerged last week like a dagger through the heart of late-night. —Peter White, Deadline, 21 July 2025

One of them cut Ford's throat with a 12-inch dagger, while two others stabbed him in the stomach with long fighting knives. —ArsTechnica, 6 June 2025

The final dagger for Martinez was an 11-game losing streak last month, when Washington went 7-19. —Dan Schlossberg, Forbes.com, 7 July 2025

Word History

Etymology

Middle English

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing dagger

• cloak-and-dagger
• double dagger

Rhymes for dagger

• agger
• bagger
• stagger
• swagger

Kids Definition

dagger

noun

dag·​ger ˈdag-ər 

1

: a short weapon for stabbing

2

: a symbol † used in printing as a reference mark to indicate a death date