Komodo dragon

American  

[kuh-moh-doh] / kəˈmoʊ doʊ /

noun

Komodo dragons plural

1. a monitor lizard, Varanus komodoensis, of certain Indonesian islands E of Java, that grows to a length of 10 feet (3 meters): the largest lizard in the world; now rare.

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Komodo dragon British  

/ kəˈməʊdəʊ /

noun

1. the largest monitor lizard, Varanus komodoensis, of Komodo and other East Indian islands: grows to a length of 3 m (about 10 ft) and a weight of 135 kilograms (about 300 lbs.)

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• Komodo dragons
  plural

Etymology

Origin of Komodo dragon

First recorded in 1925–30; named after Komodo, Indonesian island, its principal range

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

Komodo dragon

The Komodo dragon kills prey with a combination of nasty venom and lacerating teeth that dispatch that venom speedily into the victim's flesh.

From National Geographic ● Feb. 7, 2024

It was during our spirited debate of who would win in a fight to the death — a Komodo dragon or a hippopotamus — that I knew this.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 23, 2023

Still, “we’re not talking kissy lips,” he pointed out — they’d be thin and scaly like those of the Komodo dragon, a large lizard.

From Seattle Times ● Mar. 30, 2023

Lizard species range in size from chameleons and geckos that are a few centimeters in length to the Komodo dragon, which is about 3 meters in length.

From Textbooks ● Apr. 25, 2013

At this school, that included the three monitors, plus a group of geckos who played in the school marching band, and a Komodo dragon with terrible breath who everyone—mammal, bird, and lizard alike—avoided.

From "Chronicles of a Lizard Nobody" by Patrick Ness