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

Yura’s nemeses, who are part of her elderly father’s underwater court, seem to be after her magical flute, an ancient device that controls their kingdom’s dragon. —Beatrice Loayza, Variety, 1 May 2026

Dragons, representing sacred authority, were a motif also reserved just for the ruling classes. —Lori Waxman, Chicago Tribune, 29 Apr. 2026

The proud Westeros family of dragonlords have always been intent on making things bend to their (fair-haired, dragon-loving) will, even when the chips were down. —Kate Erbland, IndieWire, 27 Apr. 2026

At the center of the Crew-13 patch is a golden dragon, which is both a reference to the name of SpaceX’s capsule and the golden horses depicted on the Apollo 13 insignia. —Robert Pearlman, ArsTechnica, 27 Apr. 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

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