snapdragon
Americannoun
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any plant belonging to the genus Antirrhinum, of the figwort family, especially A. majus, cultivated for its spikes of showy flowers, each having a corolla supposed to resemble the mouth of a dragon.
noun
Etymology
Origin of snapdragon
Explanation
Some snapdragon flowers are a solid color, and others have two colors, but they all resemble a dragon's head. Snapdragons tend to grow in North America, North Africa, and some rocky areas of Europe, coming in colors ranging from white to yellow to pinks and reds. When you squeeze the sides of a snapdragon flower, the "mouth" opens and closes, making it a fun plant for kids. As a garden plant name, snapdragon dates from the 16th century. In the 18th century, it was also the name of a game (now obsolete) that involved eating raisins after snatching them out of burning brandy.
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.
The device would use a Qualcomm Snapdragon chipset, they said.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jul. 1, 2026
A watershed moment in the project came in 2024, when PC makers like Dell, HP, and Samsung Electronics began releasing laptops built around Qualcomm’s new Snapdragon X PC platform.
From Barron's • Jun. 2, 2026
The Snapdragon deal has helped them leapfrog back above Liverpool in terms of commercial revenue.
From BBC • Sep. 17, 2025
The four-team tournament will conclude at Snapdragon Stadium in San Diego on Feb. 26 with the U.S. facing Japan and Australia meeting Colombia.
From Los Angeles Times • Jan. 7, 2025
I think not so, Memory; for when Hercules had killed the flaming dragon of Hesperia with the apples of that orchard, he made this fiery meat; in memory whereof he named it Snapdragon.
From A Select Collection of Old English Plays, Volume 9 by Various
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.
