dragonfly
Americannoun
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dragonflies
plural
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any of numerous stout-bodied, nonstinging insects of the order Odonata (suborder Anisoptera), the species of which prey on mosquitoes and other insects and are distinguished from the damselflies by having the wings outstretched rather than folded when at rest.
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Military. Dragonfly, a two-seat, twin-turbojet U.S. attack aircraft in service since 1967, armed with a Minigun and capable of carrying nearly 5700 pounds (2585 kilograms) of ordnance.
noun
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any predatory insect of the suborder Anisoptera, having a large head and eyes, a long slender body, two pairs of iridescent wings that are outspread at rest, and aquatic larvae: order Odonata See also damselfly
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any other insect of the order Odonata
Regionalisms
the dragonfly is also called a darning needle and a devil's darning needle in the Northern and Western U.S. In the Northern U.S. it is also called a sewing needle. In the Midland U.S. it is called a snake feeder, in the South Midland and Southern U.S. a snake doctor, and in the Southern U.S., especially in the Southern Coastal areas, it is called a mosquito hawk or a skeeter hawk. Spindle is also in use, chiefly in New Jersey and in the Delaware Valley. Ear sewer is in older use in some scattered regional areas.
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of dragonfly
Vocabulary lists containing dragonfly
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:
Beyond cephalopods, xanthommatin is also found in insects within the arthropod group, contributing to the brilliant orange and yellow hues of monarch butterfly wings and the bright reds seen in dragonfly bodies and fly eyes.
From Science Daily ● Nov. 3, 2025
On eBay, it is possible to buy some of the most sought-after items - such as a mutated candy blossom tree or a dragonfly - for hundreds of pounds.
From BBC ● Jun. 20, 2025
He’s started dressing in oversized designer T-shirts, massive shearling coats, and a slim suit with dragonflies on it—with matching dragonfly shoes.
From Slate ● Oct. 30, 2024
A dragonfly lands on a plant near one of the yard’s water features.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 30, 2024
When the adult insects emerged, they would be more like dragonflies than anything else, but they were not like any kind of dragonfly that the humans of Will’s world, or Lyra’s, would have seen before.
From "The Amber Spyglass" by Philip Pullman
A small fire on the reserve in June was extinguished using water from a pond created with cash from the Scottish government's nature restoration fund as a habitat for species like rare dragonflies.
From BBC ● Aug. 25, 2026
Koparde says that the evolutionary biology of dragonflies and damselflies in the Western Ghats is particularly interesting because of the manner in which the region was formed.
From BBC ● May 2, 2026
Meanwhile, more visually appealing insect groups such as butterflies and dragonflies receive a disproportionate share of conservation protections.
From Science Daily ● Mar. 14, 2026
We see trees, greenery, flowers, strawberries, butterflies and dragonflies.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 17, 2026
Now, as in those ancient times, the sharp-eyed dragonflies capture mosquitoes in the air, scooping them in with basket-shaped legs.
From "Silent Spring" by Rachel Carson
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.
