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

The final dagger came from forward Alyssa Thompson in front of a crowd of 18,504 at Dick’s Sporting Goods Park. —Meg Linehan, New York Times, 26 June 2025

Those are the choices facing America: Cutting benefits is a dagger pointed directly at the neediest Americans. —Michael Hiltzik, Los Angeles Times, 20 June 2025

Noting that Nélisse can shoot daggers from her eyes just like Lynskey, Krueger was grateful the time-jump format allowed both the younger and older casts time to recoup between the darkest episodes. —Alison Foreman, IndieWire, 10 June 2025

Technology has been the key to US prosperity since World War II, and Musk’s bitter split with the White House is symbolic of the dagger being driven through the industry’s future. —Reed Albergotti, semafor.com, 6 June 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