Definition of dragoon
1 : a member of a European military unit formerly composed of heavily armed mounted troops
2 : cavalryman
From the M-W Editors
dragoon was our Word of the Day on 12/03/2008. Hear the podcast!
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Illustration of dragoon
Origin and Etymology of dragoon
French dragon dragon, dragoon, from Middle French
First Known Use: 1604
dragoon
Definition of dragoon
transitive verb
1 : to subjugate or persecute by harsh use of troops
2 : to force into submission or compliance especially by violent measures
Examples of dragoon in a Sentence
she was dragooned into agreeing to the fraudulent scheme
Did You Know?
A dragoon was a mounted European infantryman of the 17th and 18th centuries armed with a firearm called by the same name. No arm-twisting should be needed to get you to believe that the firearm's name, which came to English from French, is derived from its semblance to a fire-breathing dragon when fired. History has recorded the dragonish nature of the dragoons who persecuted the French Protestants in the 17th century, during the reign of Louis XIV. The persecution by means of the dragoons led to the use of the word dragoon as a verb.
1689
First Known Use of dragoon
1689
DRAGOON Defined for English Language Learners
dragoon
playDefinition of dragoon for English Language Learners
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: a soldier especially in the past who rode a horse and carried a gun
Learn More about dragoon
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See words that rhyme with dragoon Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for dragoon Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about dragoon
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