DEFINITIONS
The
2019 WORD
OF THE YEAR is...

dagger

[ dag-er ]
/ ˈdæg ər /
SEE SYNONYMS FOR dagger ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

a short, swordlike weapon with a pointed blade and a handle, used for stabbing.
Also called obelisk. Printing. a mark (†) used especially for references.

verb (used with object)

to stab with or as if with a dagger.
Printing. to mark with a dagger.

Content related to dagger

Dork, Dweeb, Nerd, And Geek: Which One Are You?There’s a lot of overlap in meanings. Yet, some of these terms have grown up a little more than others and even wriggled away from their negative connotations. In fact, there appears to be a hierarchy to these terms now.
READ MORE
Dork, Dweeb, Nerd, And Geek: Which One Are You?There’s a lot of overlap in meanings. Yet, some of these terms have grown up a little more than others and even wriggled away from their negative connotations. In fact, there appears to be a hierarchy to these terms now.
READ MORE

Words related to dagger

blade, bayonet, sword, cutlass, poniard, stylet, switchblade, stiletto, bodkin, dirk, anlace, sidearm, skean

Words nearby dagger

dagda, dagenham, dagestan, dagestan republic, dagga, dagger, daggerboard, daggers drawn, at, daggle, daggy, daghda

Idioms for dagger

    look daggers at, to look at angrily, threateningly, or with hate.

Origin of dagger

1350–1400; Middle English, probably alteration of Old French dague, of obscure origin; cf. dag1
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for dagger

British Dictionary definitions for dagger

dagger
/ (ˈdæɡə) /

noun

a short stabbing weapon with a pointed blade
Also called: obelisk a character (†) used in printing to indicate a cross reference, esp to a footnote
at daggers drawn in a state of open hostility
look daggers to glare with hostility; scowl

verb (tr)

to mark with a dagger
archaic to stab with a dagger

Word Origin for dagger

C14: of uncertain origin
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Idioms and Phrases with dagger

dagger

In addition to the idiom beginning with daggers

  • daggers drawn, at

also see:

  • look daggers
The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.