dart
Americannoun
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a small, slender missile that is pointed at one end and usually feathered at the other and is propelled by hand, as in the game of darts, or by a blowgun when used as a weapon.
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something similar in function to such a missile, as the stinging member of an insect.
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(used with a singular verb) darts, a game in which darts are thrown at a target usually marked with concentric circles divided into segments and with a bull's-eye in the center.
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an act of darting; a sudden swift movement.
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a tapered seam of fabric for adjusting the fit of a garment.
verb (used without object)
verb (used with object)
noun
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a small narrow pointed missile that is thrown or shot, as in the game of darts
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a sudden quick movement
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zoology a slender pointed structure, as in snails for aiding copulation or in nematodes for penetrating the host's tissues
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a tapered tuck made in dressmaking
verb
noun
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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dartsimple
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dartssimple
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have dartedperfect
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has dartedperfect
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am dartingprogressive
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are dartingprogressive
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is dartingprogressive
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have been dartingperfect progressive
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has been dartingperfect progressive
Past
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dartedsimple
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had dartedperfect
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was dartingprogressive
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were dartingprogressive
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had been dartingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of dart
1275–1325; Middle English < Anglo-French, Old French < Old Low Franconian; compare Old English daroth, Old High German tart, Old Norse darrathr spear, lance
Explanation
A dart is a tiny missile with a pointy end that can be a weapon or part of a game, like those pointy things that people throw at dartboards. If a person darts, it just means she’s moving quickly. A dart can be thrown or fired by blowing through a contraption, like when people who study big animals shoot a tranquilizer dart at a lion so they can put it to sleep without getting close. Darts can be weapons or part of a game often found in bars. Just as a dart moves quickly, a person can dart if they move quickly. Bees tend to dart around in the air. In football, a quick running back darts to avoid defenders
Vocabulary lists containing dart
"On the Menu" and "Find the Adaptations"
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Let's Race!
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"I Hear America Singing," "I, Too," "Where Is My Country?" "Legal Alien," and "Human Family"
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Harriet Dart came close to completing a gritty comeback win but ultimately fell 6-3 3-6 6-4 to former French Open champion Jelena Ostapenko.
From BBC • Jun. 29, 2026
He's also described a naval cadet's arm "like steel" and called Jaxson Dart, quarterback for the New York Giants football team, a "beautiful guy" with "legs like tree trunks."
From Barron's • Jun. 11, 2026
Dart fought back from a set down to beat Liudmila Samsonova 5-7 6-4 6-3 in one of only three matches completed on Monday as the rain wreaked havoc with the schedule.
From BBC • Jun. 9, 2026
New York Giants quarterback Jaxson Dart found himself at the center of a cultural maelstrom after appearing on stage with Trump in upstate New York last month.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 9, 2026
The marshal had driven toward the house on Dart Street, but he couldn’t get close.
From "Zeitoun" by Dave Eggers
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
