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
Conjugated Forms
Present
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have dartedperfect
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has dartedperfect 3rd person singular
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is dartingprogressive 3rd person singular
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are dartingprogressive
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am dartingprogressive 1st person singular
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have been dartingperfect progressive
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dartingparticiple
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has been dartingperfect progressive 3rd person singular
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dartssingular 3rd person
Past
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had dartedperfect
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had been dartingperfect progressive
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were dartingprogressive plural
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was dartingprogressive singular
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dartedsimple
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dartedparticiple
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.
There will also be activities for all ages, including youth soccer clinics, family-friendly games, refreshments, halftime snacks and inflatable attractions such as a giant soccer dart game.
From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 10, 2026
After a missed match dart by Van Veen, the pair exchanged a frosty handshake and the Dutchman said Littler "was out of order" at what he perceived to be a celebration at the miss.
From BBC • May 28, 2026
Fish and Wildlife officials tranquilized the animal with a game dart, after which the mountain lion ran east over a fence before the dart started taking effect.
From Los Angeles Times • May 6, 2026
“This wasn’t something where we just kind of threw a dart at the board and hoped it would work out,” she said.
From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 24, 2026
In my head, I see a dart fly through the air and hit one of those red and white target boards dead center.
From "Red Flags and Butterflies" by Sheryl Azzam
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.
