dart

play

noun \ ˈdärt \

Definition of dart

1 a archaic :a light spear

b (1) :a small missile usually with a pointed shaft at one end and feathers at the other

(2) darts plural in form but singular in construction :a game in which darts are thrown at a target

2 a :something projected with sudden speed; especially :a sharp glance

b :something causing sudden pain or distress

darts of sarcasm

3 :something with a slender pointed shaft or outline; specifically :a stitched tapering fold in a garment

4 :a quick movement

made a dart for the door

See dart defined for English-language learners

See dart defined for kids

Examples of dart in a Sentence

He was hit with a poisoned dart.
Her favorite game is darts.
a quick dart to the left

Recent Examples of dart from the Web

The hotel is clearly catering to millennials, with its enormous non-gambling play space of indoor/outdoor bocce ball courts, ping pong, darts, shuffle board, skee-ball, and a gigantic sports bar.

— heather platt, Los Angeles Magazine, "Reno: It’s Not Just The Place You Ignore While Skiing in Tahoe Anymore," 28 Aug. 2017
The Sport Bar of Perdido Key has some activities including darts, pool tables, live music and plenty of outdoor seating for when the cool months come.

— brian kelly | bkelly@al.com, AL.com, "17 places the locals out hang after tourists leave the beaches," 28 Aug. 2017
If pool’s not your thing, no worries—backgammon and darts abound. 35.

— marielle wakim, Los Angeles Magazine, "Best of LA: 92 of Our Favorite Things to Eat, Do, and Buy Right Now," 14 July 2017
More recently, two senior executives came an eyelash away from fighting, not with foam darts, but with fists.

— paresh dave, Philly.com, "Loot Crate became the nation's fastest-growing startup, then it laid off over a quarter of its staff," 5 July 2017
Last month, two senior executives came an eyelash away from fighting, not with foam darts, but with fists.

— paresh dave, latimes.com, "Loot Crate became the nation's fastest-growing start-up, then it laid off over a quarter of its staff," 30 June 2017
That was before my time, but the dart-and-string wrist-shooter was awfully inventive.

— ryan parker, The Hollywood Reporter, "Spider-Man's Web-Shooter Toys Have Remained Consistently Cool for Decades," 30 June 2017
Games, including tabletop shuffleboard and darts, will also be part of the Brewpourium.

— shauna steigerwald, Cincinnati.com, "New details about Taft's Brewing Co., taking shape in Spring Grove Village," 29 June 2017
Lyles’ proximity to officers would have made Tasers a questionable option, Gulla said, as more distance is needed for their effectiveness and the Taser darts may not have penetrated her coat.

— bob young, The Seattle Times, "Charleena Lyles case: What crisis training do Seattle police bring to the door?," 27 June 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'dart.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of dart

Middle English, from Anglo-French, of Germanic origin; akin to Old High German tart dart, Old English daroth

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 14th century

See Words from the same year

dart Synonyms

dart

verb

Definition of dart

transitive verb

1 :to throw with a sudden movement

2 :to thrust or move with sudden speed

3 :to shoot with a dart containing a usually tranquilizing drug

intransitive verb

:to move suddenly or rapidly

darted across the street

See dart defined for English-language learners

Examples of dart in a Sentence

We saw a deer dart across the road.
The frog darted its tongue at a fly.

Recent Examples of dart from the Web

People were screaming and darting to either side of the street.

— maggie mallon, Glamour, "Elizabeth Sines and Leanne Chia Were in Charlottesville When White Supremacists Descended—This Is What They Saw," 18 Aug. 2017
To capture a whale, the hunters first use a darting gun.

— sarah zhang, The Atlantic, "The Native Alaskan Hunters Teaching Scientists About Whales," 31 July 2017
New QBs coach Brett Elliott and Mullen are working to improve Fitzgerald's IQ as a passer so that his eyes don't need to be darting all over the field.

— james crepea, AL.com, "Auburn opponent early scouting report: Mississippi State," 21 July 2017
Authorities say hundreds of cars line the busy road on weekends and holidays, with hikers sometimes darting across four lanes of traffic trying to access the trail — endangering drivers and pedestrians.

— j. harry jones, Ramona Sentinel, "Groups brainstorm solutions to Mt. Woodson parking," 19 July 2017
A few feet behind would be Cohn, skinny, eyes darting, his features slightly caved in from plastic surgery.

— marie brenner, The Hive, "How Donald Trump and Roy Cohn’s Ruthless Symbiosis Changed America," 4 July 2017
A few feet behind would be Cohn, skinny, eyes darting, his features slightly caved in from plastic surgery.

— marie brenner, The Hive, "How Donald Trump and Roy Cohn’s Ruthless Symbiosis Changed America," 4 July 2017
A few feet behind would be Cohn, skinny, eyes darting, his features slightly caved in from plastic surgery.

— marie brenner, vanityfair.com, "How Donald Trump and Roy Cohn’s Ruthless Symbiosis Changed America," 28 June 2017
Heller darted out a back entrance and down a private hallway, evading reporters.

— chicagotribune.com, "McConnell wants to revise Senate health care bill by Friday for new CBO score," 28 June 2017

First Known Use of dart

1573

dart Synonyms

Synonyms

dance, flit, flick, flicker, flirt, flitter, flutter, zip

Related Words

dash, fly, sail, shoot, speed, sprint, zing, zoom; scamper, scud, scurry, scuttle, skip, skitter; meander, ramble, roam, wander

Near Antonyms

float, hang, hover

DART Defined for English Language Learners

dart

play

noun

Definition of dart for English Language Learners

: a small object that has a sharp point at one end and that is thrown in the game of darts or used as a weapon
darts : a game in which darts are thrown at a board that is marked with circles
: a quick movement

dart

verb

Definition of dart for English Language Learners

: to run or move quickly or suddenly in a particular direction or to a particular place

DART Defined for Kids

dart

play

noun \ ˈdärt \

Definition of dart for Students

1 :a small pointed object that is meant to be thrown

2 darts plural :a game in which darts are thrown at a target

3 :a quick sudden movement

4 :a fold sewed into a piece of clothing

dart

verb

Definition of dart for Students

darted; darting

:to move or shoot out suddenly and quickly

A toad darted out its tongue.

Learn More about dart

See words that rhyme with dart Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for dart Spanish Central: Translation of dart Nglish: Translation of dart for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of dart for Arabic speakers Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about dart

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dart

Definition of dart

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dart Synonyms

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DART Defined for English Language Learners

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Definition of dart for English Language Learners

dart

Definition of dart for English Language Learners

DART Defined for Kids

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