dart

[dahrt]

noun

1. 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.

   Synonyms: barb, arrow

2. something similar in function to such a missile, as the stinging member of an insect.

3. (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.

4. an act of darting; a sudden swift movement.

5. a tapered seam of fabric for adjusting the fit of a garment.

verb (used without object)

1. to move swiftly; spring or start suddenly and run swiftly.

   A mouse darted out of the closet and ran across the room.

   Synonyms: shoot, bolt, dash

verb (used with object)

1. to thrust or move suddenly or rapidly.

   He darted his eyes around the room.

dart

¹

/ dɑːt /

noun

1. a small narrow pointed missile that is thrown or shot, as in the game of darts

2. a sudden quick movement

3. zoology a slender pointed structure, as in snails for aiding copulation or in nematodes for penetrating the host's tissues

4. a tapered tuck made in dressmaking

verb

1. to move or throw swiftly and suddenly; shoot

   she darted across the room

dart

²

/ dɑːt /

noun

1. any of various tropical and semitropical marine fish

Other Word Forms

• dartingly adverb
• dartingness noun
• darting adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of dart¹

1275–1325; Middle English < Anglo-French, Old French < Old Low Franconian; compare Old English daroth, Old High German tart, Old Norse darrathr spear, lance

Word History and Origins

Origin of dart¹

C14: from Old French, of Germanic origin; related to Old English daroth spear, Old High German tart dart

Origin of dart²

from Middle English darce , from Late Latin dardus , dart, javelin

Related Words

• bound 
• dash 
• flash 
• fling 
• flit 
• float 
• gallop 
• hurry 
• hurtle 
• scamper 
• scoot 
• scurry 
• skim 
• sprint