dragon
Americannoun
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dragons
plural
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a mythical monster generally represented as a huge, winged reptile with crested head and enormous claws and teeth, and often spouting fire.
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Archaic. a huge serpent or snake.
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Bible. a large animal, possibly a large snake or crocodile.
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the dragon, Satan.
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a fierce, violent person.
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a very watchful and strict woman; duenna.
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Botany. any of several araceous plants, as Arisaema dracontium green dragon, or dragonroot, the flowers of which have a long, slender spadix and a green, shorter spathe.
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a short musket carried by a mounted infantryman in the 16th and 17th centuries.
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a soldier armed with such a musket.
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Astronomy. Dragon, the constellation Draco.
idioms
noun
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a mythical monster usually represented as breathing fire and having a scaly reptilian body, wings, claws, and a long tail
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informal a fierce or intractable person, esp a woman
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any of various very large lizards, esp the Komodo dragon
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any of various North American aroid plants, esp the green dragon
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Christianity a manifestation of Satan or an attendant devil
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a yacht of the International Dragon Class, 8.88m long (29.2 feet), used in racing
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slang to smoke opium or heroin
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of dragon
First recorded in 1175–1225; Middle English, from Old French, from Latin dracōn- (stem of dracō ), from Greek drákōn the name of a kind of serpent, probably originally an epithet, “the (sharp-)sighted one,” akin to dérkesthai “to look”
Explanation
A dragon is a fire-breathing mythological animal, a winged, flying, scaly creature. In many European legends, brave knights battle evil dragons. The dragon shows up in the mythologies of many different cultures, usually breathing fire and resembling a giant reptile or serpent with wings. The monster in the ancient Mesopotamian poem the "Epic of Gilgamesh" is often called a dragon, and the Old English story "Beowulf" also features a fearsome dragon. In several Asian cultures, dragons represent wisdom, nature, and longevity. The Greek root is drakon, "serpent" or "giant seafish."
Vocabulary lists containing dragon
Ancient Greece: Mythology and Literature - Middle School
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Ancient Greece: Mythology and Literature - Introductory
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Chinese History - Introductory
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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.
See Examples For:
Jon: Chinese consumers often call out foreign brands that they feel lazily pander to Chinese tastes—like adding a dragon design and calling it a “Year of the Dragon” shoe.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 29, 2026
The DJ, producer and founder of the longtime L.A. record label Stones Throw, who performs as Peanut Butter Wolf, was looking after his daughter’s bearded dragon, Sweet Pea, for the afternoon.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 14, 2026
Murdoch appeared before the entrepreneurs accompanied by a large painting of a dragon - which he had created for the show.
From BBC ● Aug. 28, 2026
The species, Acanthosaura syrax, takes its name from Syrax, the dragon ridden by Queen Rhaenyra Targaryen in House of the Dragon.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 24, 2026
When fully grown, your dragon will be unimaginably powerful.
From "Jeremy Thatcher, Dragon Hatcher" by Bruce Coville
Another tourist, French painter Carol Odile, said she came with a group of friends, excited to see Komodo dragons in Flores, when she was notified that her flight was cancelled.
From Barron's ● Sep. 7, 2026
Acanthosaura syrax belongs to a group of agamid lizards known as mountain horned dragons, which are distinguished by the spiny crests that extend along the neck and back.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 24, 2026
That era produced the “four little dragons of AI,” computer-vision startups including SenseTime that trained many of the engineers active in AI today.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 21, 2026
“The Dance of the Dragons” does not end well for many of those involved, especially dragons.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 10, 2026
The captain didn’t care about Nim and Jack; but he was afraid of sea lions and dragons and boat-ripping reefs.
From "Nim’s Island" by Wendy Orr
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.
