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

see also:

at daggers drawn look daggers

Examples of dagger in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

After dribbling between his legs, Mark switched up and leaned to his right and let loose with a dagger jumper from 20 feet out. —Cedric Golden, Austin American Statesman, 18 Mar. 2026

When Mark hit what felt like a dagger mid-range jumper with 37 seconds remaining, the Wolfpack’s Darrion Williams, who led all scorers with 21 points, made yet another 3-pointer to cut the score to 66-65 with 25 seconds remaining. —Lia Assimakopoulos, Dallas Morning News, 17 Mar. 2026

David flicked, a 3-pointer swished, and the junior stretched his vocal cords to the cavernous audience at the Coliseum with an early dagger. —Luca Evans, Denver Post, 15 Mar. 2026

In that clip, Simpson had a dagger concept (dig/vertical combo) called, the most popular third-and-long concept in the NFL. —Jacob Robinson, New York Times, 13 Mar. 2026

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