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  • dan
    dan
    noun
    a degree of expertise in karate, judo, tae kwon do, etc., usually signified by the wearing of a cloth belt of a particular color; level.
  • Dan
    Dan
  • Dan.
    Dan.
    abbreviation

dan

1 American  
[dahn, dan] / dɑn, dæn /

noun

Martial Arts.
  1. a degree of expertise in karate, judo, tae kwon do, etc., usually signified by the wearing of a cloth belt of a particular color; level.

    a sixth-degree dan.


Dan 2 American  
[dan] / dæn /

noun

    1. (in the Bible) a son of Jacob and Bilhah.

    2. one of the 12 tribes of ancient Israel, traditionally descended from him.

  1. the northernmost city of ancient Palestine.

  2. a male given name, form of Daniel.


idioms

  1. from Dan to Beersheba, from one outermost extreme or limit to the other.

Dan 3 American  
[dan] / dæn /

noun

Archaic.
  1. a title of honor equivalent to master or sir:

    Dan Chaucer.


Dan. 4 American  

abbreviation

  1. Bible. Daniel.

  2. Danish. Also Dan


Dan 1 British  
/ dæn /

noun

    1. the fourth son of Jacob (Genesis 30:1–6)

    2. the tribe descended from him

  1. a city in the northern territory of Canaan

"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

Dan. 2 British  

abbreviation

  1. Bible Daniel

  2. Danish

"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

dan 3 British  
/ dæn /

noun

  1. any one of the 10 black-belt grades of proficiency

  2. a competitor entitled to dan grading

"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

Dan 4 British  
/ dæn /

noun

  1. an archaic title of honour, equivalent to Master or Sir

    Dan Chaucer

"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

dan 5 British  
/ dæn /

noun

  1. Also called: dan buoy. a small buoy used as a marker at sea

"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

Etymology

Origin of dan1

First recorded in 1940–45; from Japanese, from Middle Chinese, equivalent to Chinese duàn “step, grade”

Origin of Dan3

1275–1325; Middle English < Old French danz < Medieval Latin domnus, contraction of Latin dominus “lord, master”


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.

See Examples For:

Kare kare dan dan noodles started as an experimental special, Miranda says, then stayed by popular demand for the silky sesame-and-peanut sauce, savory braised short rib, and creeping, complex, spicy heat.

From Seattle Times ● Nov. 30, 2023

Since we were throwing tradition out the window anyway, we decided to blend the meatiness of Sichuan dan dan mian, or spicy noodles with ground pork, with the simplicity of peanut noodles.

From Washington Times ● May 15, 2023

Sunday, Okatsuka would eat dan dan noodles with her grandma and husband and then savor their fight over the check, before goofing around at the mall and later hosting a show.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 6, 2023

Gaw says dan bing are traditionally served alongside youtiao, which is a type of fried cruller, and sweet soy milk.

From Washington Post ● Oct. 27, 2022

“You knows mo dan you got any use fer,” Dilsey said.

From "The Sound and the Fury" by William Faulkner

Dan Green, Chief Executive of the Anne Frank Trust UK, said the review "confirms what we see in classrooms every day".

From BBC ● Oct. 21, 2026

Even so, Musk, a key shareholder of Tesla, will likely get his way in the next few years, said investment analyst Dan Sheehan from Telos Wealth Advisors.

From BBC ● Oct. 21, 2026

Investor interest was recently piqued when Barclays analyst Dan Levy said in an Oct.

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 20, 2026

By Monday, film chief Dan Lin lost his job, too.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 19, 2026

Sasha told Dan about using the fire to full advantage.

From "The 57 Bus" by Dashka Slater

At a rally in Conroe that year, Trump openly acknowledged the endorsement pipeline, saying Patrick would call him with requests and he would respond, “Absolutely, Dan. Whatever you want, Dan.”

From Salon ● May 29, 2026

"I've always got on well with Cam, Andy, Dan. Those guys have been incredible role models for me and good support. I'm just very lucky to have them, I suppose."

From BBC ● Aug. 30, 2023

“We also see what repercussions look like for Dan. We get into his life and see that these things don’t — no matter how much you want them to — go away.”

From Seattle Times ● Apr. 27, 2023

Sports business analyst Andrew Brandt asked rhetorically, “The hits keep coming for Commander Dan. Continues the decades-long question: why has the NFL protected him so much?”

From Washington Times ● Feb. 28, 2023

“They won’t come in. They won’t, Papa. Little Ann might, but not Old Dan. He’d die before he’d leave a coon in a tree.”

From "Where the Red Fern Grows" by Wilson Rawls

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