dagger

noun

dag·​ger ˈda-gər 

1

: a sharp pointed knife for stabbing

2

a

: something that resembles a dagger

b

: a character † used as a reference mark or to indicate a death date

daggerlike

ˈda-gər-ˌlīk 

adjective

Phrases

at daggers drawn

: in a state of open hostility or conflict

look daggers or stare daggers

: to stare angrily

they looked daggers at each other across the table

Examples of dagger in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

The dagger is a metallurgical masterpiece that could be up to 2,500 years old, per the statement. —Sonja Anderson, Smithsonian Magazine, 4 Apr. 2025

Threaten the rubber hand by attempting to stab it with a dagger, for instance, and the participants exhibit an involuntary startle or fear response. —ArsTechnica, 31 Mar. 2025

And then Caleb Love shooting that dagger at the end. —Taylor Eldridge, Kansas City Star, 20 Mar. 2025

With four minutes left in the first half of Monday night’s Big East Championship game against Creighton, superstar Paige Bueckers hit a wide-open 3-pointer that already felt like a dagger for the UConn women’s basketball team. —Emily Adams, Hartford Courant, 11 Mar. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Middle English

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing dagger

• cloak-and-dagger
• double dagger

Rhymes for dagger

• agger
• bagger
• stagger
• swagger

Kids Definition

dagger

noun

dag·​ger ˈdag-ər 

1

: a short weapon for stabbing

2

: a symbol † used in printing as a reference mark to indicate a death date