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

The one useful nugget revealed in its sinister pages this time is the existence of an ancient dagger that is the sole means of killing a deadite for good. — David Rooney, HollywoodReporter, 8 July 2026

Garcia wanted to put the dagger in the USA, and Lukaku eventually did it in the 93rd minute to complete the humiliation. — Ben Church, CNN Money, 7 July 2026

Like, there’s a chick pushing a he-man out of the way and drawing a dagger to go at a T-Rex. — Steve Appleford, SPIN, 29 June 2026

After Jude Bellingham netted Saturday’s first goal in the 62nd minute — snapping an England scoring drought that had lasted for more than three halves — Bellingham set up Kane’s header, which served as the dagger. — Peter Sblendorio, New York Daily News, 28 June 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