dragon

noun

drag·on ˈdra-gən

archaic : a huge serpent

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

: a violent, combative, or very strict person

capitalized : draco

: something or someone formidable or baneful

dragonish

ˈdra-gə-nish

adjective

Examples of dragon in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web Their modern-day relatives include the monitor lizard and Komodo dragon. —

Allison Futterman, Discover Magazine, 8 Sep. 2023 In fact, the anonymous owner of the $2.2 million dollar Game of Thrones dragon egg sailed on the first Fabergé Spotlight Voyage in June. —

Katie Jackson, Robb Report, 3 Sep. 2023 Eight dragon heads were mounted on the outside, each holding a ball in its teeth, and eight corresponding toads ringed the base. —

IEEE Spectrum, 1 Sep. 2023 Kar is a dragon character Langford came up with and likes to draw. —

Matt Wake | Mwake@al.com, al, 28 Aug. 2023 Despite many movements for tech decentralization, the dragon’s hoard of gold has kept growing. —

WIRED, 3 Aug. 2023 For example, Belle (Emma Watson) in the 2017 Beauty and the Beast is an inventor, and Alice (Mia Wasikowska) in 2010's Alice in Wonderland is a warrior who defeats a dragon. —

Jen Juneau, Peoplemag, 18 Aug. 2023 The Victorian grassland earless dragon was rediscovered. —

Will Stephenson, Harper's Magazine, 16 Aug. 2023 Alan Cooper, a spokesman for Epic, said that all projects made in Fortnite — which include maps with an ice dragon and a prison breakout — were subject to creator rules and content guidelines. —

Zachary Small, New York Times, 16 Aug. 2023 See More

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'dragon.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

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

Time Traveler

The first known use of dragon was in the 13th century

See more words from the same century

Cite this Entry

Style

“Dragon.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/dragon. Accessed 23 Sep. 2023.

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Kids Definition

dragon

noun

drag·on ˈdrag-ən

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

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