dragoon
Americannoun
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(especially formerly) a European cavalryman of a heavily armed troop.
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a member of a military unit formerly composed of such cavalrymen, as in the British army.
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(formerly) a mounted infantryman armed with a short musket.
verb (used with object)
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to set dragoons or soldiers upon; persecute by armed force; oppress.
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to force by oppressive measures; coerce.
The authorities dragooned the peasants into leaving their farms.
noun
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(originally) a mounted infantryman armed with a carbine
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(sometimes capital) a domestic fancy pigeon
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a type of cavalryman
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( pl; cap when part of a name )
the Royal Dragoons
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verb
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to coerce; force
he was dragooned into admitting it
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to persecute by military force
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Conjugated Forms
Present
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has dragoonedperfect 3rd person singular
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have dragoonedperfect
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are dragooningprogressive
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am dragooningprogressive 1st person singular
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is dragooningprogressive 3rd person singular
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has been dragooningperfect progressive 3rd person singular
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have been dragooningperfect progressive
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dragoonssingular 3rd person
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dragooningparticiple
Past
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had dragoonedperfect
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was dragooningprogressive singular
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had been dragooningperfect progressive
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were dragooningprogressive plural
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dragoonedparticiple
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dragoonedsimple
Future
Etymology
Origin of dragoon
1615–25; < French dragon, special use of dragon dragon, applied first to a pistol hammer (so named because of its shape), then to the firearm, then to the troops so armed
Explanation
These days, you're most likely to hear dragoon used as a verb meaning "force someone to do something," like the way your best friend dragooned you into volunteering for the prom committee. Long ago, dragoons were soldiers who rode horses into battle and were trained to fight either on foot or on horseback. It's easy to mistake dragoon for dragon, and it might not be surprising to know the two words are related. Dragoons were named for one of the weapons they frequently carried, powerful muskets said to "breathe fire," known as dragons. European armies commonly included dragoon regiments from the late 17th century until the early 20th century, and dragoons also fought in the Revolutionary War.
Vocabulary lists containing dragoon
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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.
He served in the British Army’s Royal Dragoon Guards and worked in advertising in the late 1950s before he started making documentaries and television commercials.
From New York Times • Feb. 14, 2023
Air Twister is a classic rail shooter — think Space Harrier or Panzer Dragoon — where players take on the role of a sci-fi princess fighting to save her home world.
From The Verge • Jun. 24, 2022
He is currently serving with the Queen's Dragoon Guards based at Robertson Barracks in Dereham, Norfolk.
From BBC • Jan. 29, 2022
Operation Dragoon was delayed by logistical problems, and Mr. Germain finally landed on a beach of his homeland on Aug. 15.
From Washington Post • Oct. 15, 2021
The soldier was an Inniskilling Dragoon, and the officer in command had been recently wounded at Waterloo, where his corps did good service against the French Cuirassiers.
From Charles Darwin: His Life in an Autobiographical Chapter, and in a Selected Series of His Published Letters by Darwin, Charles
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.
