dragonfly
noun
\
Definition of dragonfly
: 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
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Examples of dragonfly in a Sentence
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During my visit, dozens of dragonflies buzzed through the air around the summit. — Peter Marteka, courant.com, "A Hike To Lions Head And A View That Will Make You Roar In Delight," 24 June 2018 Deer Pond, located at the southern end of the preserve, is very scenic with lilies floating in the water and dragonflies daintily hanging on grass along the banks. — Peter Marteka, courant.com, "10 Miles Of Trails Open 7 Days A Week, 52 Weeks A Year. Sherman's Deer Pond Farm Makes Its Debut," 13 July 2018 Scientists captured more than 40 dragonflies in the wild and placed dots on their wings to record their movements. — Victoria Davis, Science | AAAS, "This video reveals the secret to the dragonfly’s backward flight," 2 July 2018 A year later, plants such as woolgrass bulrush, brome hummock sedge, giant bur-reed, marsh marigold, queen-of-the-prairie and spike gayfeather are attracting dragonflies and monarch butterflies. — Patrick M. O'connell, chicagotribune.com, "A 'wild mile' on the Chicago River? It might be closer than you think," 22 June 2018 Right now, scientists have only gone as far as getting the dragonfly to fly in a straight line. — Sophie Weiner, Popular Mechanics, "This Genetically-Modified Cyborg Dragonfly Is the Tiniest Drone," 1 June 2017 Chiffchaffs and willow warblers sing in the sallow and alder, while every leaf seems to hold a butterfly or dragonfly or hoverfly. — The Economist, "Brexit is reverberating in British literature," 5 July 2018 The bees and butterflies and dragonflies and bluebirds that make a prairie ecosystem return with a vengeance. — Heidi Stevens, chicagotribune.com, "Journalists, readers can't allow the Capital Gazette killings to darken our light," 29 June 2018 The dress was highlighted by hand embroidered gold and silver thread, pearls and beads in botanical motifs of leaves, stems and flowers, along with butterflies and dragonflies which accented the bodice and surrounded the hem of the skirt. — Sue Strachan, NOLA.com, "Mystic Club's costumed merriment at annual bal masque," 22 Feb. 2018These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'dragonfly.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
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More Definitions for dragonfly
dragonfly
noun
English Language Learners Definition of dragonfly
: a large insect that has a long thin body and four wings and that is often seen near water
See the full definition for dragonfly in the English Language Learners Dictionary
dragonfly
noun
\
Kids Definition of dragonfly
: a large insect with a long slender body and four wings
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