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

capitalized : draco

5

: something or someone formidable or baneful

dragonish

ˈdra-gə-nish 

adjective

Examples of dragon in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Stories of the Lake Phalen dragon, MPR raccoon and Hamm’s Beer Bear will be brought to life on St. Paul sidewalks this summer. —Kathryn Kovalenko, Twin Cities, 10 July 2025

Among them were komodo dragons, elephants, hippos, river sharks and more. —Sara Hashemi, Smithsonian Magazine, 9 July 2025

One wall has photos of Gary’s Duck Inn restaurant, the Orlando Gay Chorus, Stuff the Orlando Magic’s dragon and the Jones High School band visit to Washington, D.C., in 1964. —Dewayne Bevil, The Orlando Sentinel, 30 June 2025

The film which depicts an aging, former pro racer who's pushed by a teammate (Javier Bardem) to test his mettle on the blacktop again had to slay a dragon to secure the gold. —Ryan Coleman, EW.com, 29 June 2025

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

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