dragonfly

noun

drag·​on·​fly ˈdra-gən-ˌflī 

: any of a suborder (Anisoptera) of odonate insects that are larger and stouter than damselflies, hold the wings horizontal in repose, and have rectal gills during the naiad stage

broadly : odonate

Illustration of dragonfly

Examples of dragonfly in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Researchers found that 24 percent of ––including dragonflies, fish, and crustaceans––are vulnerable, endangered, or critically endangered due to multiple environmental threats. —Shannon McDonagh, Newsweek, 8 Jan. 2025

It's painted like the Magic School Bus with beetles on the door and a dragonfly along the tail. —Lane Nieset, Travel + Leisure, 28 Dec. 2024

The 355-piece set can be transformed into a peacock with foldable feathers or a dragonfly and butterfly with posable wings. —Ali Faccenda, People.com, 27 Nov. 2024

Just as birds, bees and dragonflies all fly using different wing structures, materials seem to pair electrons together in different ways. —Charlie Wood, WIRED, 12 Jan. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1626, in the meaning defined above

Kids Definition

dragonfly

noun

drag·​on·​fly -ˌflī 

: any of a group of large harmless insects that have four long wings held horizontal and sticking out instead of folded to the side next to the body when at rest and that feed especially on flies, gnats, and mosquitoes compare damselfly