dragon

noun

drag·​on ˈdra-gən 

1

archaic : a huge serpent

2

: a mythical animal usually represented as a monstrous winged and scaly serpent or saurian with a crested head and enormous claws

3

: a violent, combative, or very strict person

4

Dragon : draco

5

: something or someone formidable or baneful

dragonish

ˈdra-gə-nish 

adjective

Examples of dragon in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

The Komodo dragon has serrated teeth and a habit of gripping prey and then shaking its head side to side to rip the flesh away from the bone. — ArsTechnica, 9 July 2026

The lady must walk down righteous paths, face seemingly insurmountable obstacles, slay the modern-day equivalent of dragons. — David Fear, Rolling Stone, 9 July 2026

In spring training, teammates nicknamed him Bowser, after the fire-breathing dragon from the Mario Kart series. — Jen McCaffrey, New York Times, 9 July 2026

But, as exciting as swords and dragons are, that’s not really what his show is about. — Brian Grubb, Vulture, 6 July 2026

Word History

Etymology

Middle English, from Anglo-French dragun, from Latin dracon-, draco serpent, dragon, from Greek drakōn serpent; akin to Old English torht bright, Greek derkesthai to see, look at

First Known Use

13th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing dragon

• dragon fruit
• dragon lady
• dragon's blood
• dragon's teeth
• green dragon
• Komodo dragon

Rhymes for dragon

• agone
• lagan
• waggon
• wagon
• anlagen
• bandwagon
• snapdragon
• procollagen

Kids Definition

dragon

noun

drag·​on ˈdrag-ən 

1

: an imaginary animal usually pictured as a huge serpent or lizard with wings and large claws

2

capitalized : draco

Etymology

Middle English dragon "dragon," from early French dragun (same meaning), from Latin dracon-, draco "serpent, dragon," from Greek drakōn "serpent" — related to rankle