Illustration of dragonfly
dragonfly
noun
drag·on·fly
ˈdra-gən-ˌflī 
: any of a suborder (Anisoptera) of odonate insects that are larger and stouter than damselflies, hold the wings horizontal in repose, and have rectal gills during the naiad stage
broadly
: odonate
Examples of dragonfly in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Even inexpensive, imitation Tiffany-style light fixtures feature beautiful colors, signature dragonflies, and brass bases like the million-dollar originals.
—
Sharon Greenthal, Better Homes & Gardens, 28 Mar. 2024
Prior to designing the spiky silicon, researchers studied the structural composition of cicada and dragonfly wings, which have evolved to feature similarly sharp nanostructures capable of skewering fungal spores and bacterial cells.
—Andrew Paul, Popular Science, 27 Mar. 2024
Lana Del Rey expressed her excitement for the album, sharing the cover art, which sees a green dragonfly sitting on the side of Hill’s bare buttocks, on Instagram Thursday.
—Tomás Mier, Rolling Stone, 1 Mar. 2024
There are several other creatures with dragon in their name such as bearded dragons, dragonfish and dragonflies.
—Kurt Snibbe, Orange County Register, 8 Feb. 2024
The agency has developed warehouses’ worth of spy gadgetry over the years, my favorite being the Cold War camera designed to look and hover like a dragonfly.
—William J. Burns, Foreign Affairs, 30 Jan. 2024
From a dragonfly landing on a turtle’s nose to a sleeping polar bear, the images honored in the Wildlife Photographer of the Year contest offer rare glimpses into astounding, tense and tender moments experienced by animals across the world.
—Carlyn Kranking, Smithsonian Magazine, 5 Jan. 2024
These lures throw a ton of water and will call up any bass or pike that swims, but the smaller models are particularly deadly on smallmouth streams, especially in black to mimic a dragonfly or unfortunate beetle that fell in the water.
—Joe Cermele, Field & Stream, 4 Jan. 2024
The long, flat roofline and the silhouette of two open wings are complemented by lighting installations and metal decorations on the facade that replicate the intricate markings of a dragonfly.
—Abby Montanez, Robb Report, 23 Feb. 2024
Sharon Greenthal, Better Homes & Gardens, 28 Mar. 2024
Prior to designing the spiky silicon, researchers studied the structural composition of cicada and dragonfly wings, which have evolved to feature similarly sharp nanostructures capable of skewering fungal spores and bacterial cells.
—Andrew Paul, Popular Science, 27 Mar. 2024
Lana Del Rey expressed her excitement for the album, sharing the cover art, which sees a green dragonfly sitting on the side of Hill’s bare buttocks, on Instagram Thursday.
—Tomás Mier, Rolling Stone, 1 Mar. 2024
There are several other creatures with dragon in their name such as bearded dragons, dragonfish and dragonflies.
—Kurt Snibbe, Orange County Register, 8 Feb. 2024
The agency has developed warehouses’ worth of spy gadgetry over the years, my favorite being the Cold War camera designed to look and hover like a dragonfly.
—William J. Burns, Foreign Affairs, 30 Jan. 2024
From a dragonfly landing on a turtle’s nose to a sleeping polar bear, the images honored in the Wildlife Photographer of the Year contest offer rare glimpses into astounding, tense and tender moments experienced by animals across the world.
—Carlyn Kranking, Smithsonian Magazine, 5 Jan. 2024
These lures throw a ton of water and will call up any bass or pike that swims, but the smaller models are particularly deadly on smallmouth streams, especially in black to mimic a dragonfly or unfortunate beetle that fell in the water.
—Joe Cermele, Field & Stream, 4 Jan. 2024
The long, flat roofline and the silhouette of two open wings are complemented by lighting installations and metal decorations on the facade that replicate the intricate markings of a dragonfly.
—Abby Montanez, Robb Report, 23 Feb. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'dragonfly.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near dragonfly
Cite this Entry
“Dragonfly.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/dragonfly. Accessed 19 Apr. 2024.
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