dragonfly Hear it!

dragonfly Definition

dragon·fly (dragən flī′)

noun pl. -·flies′

any of an order (Odonata) or suborder (Anisoptera) of large insects, harmless to people, having narrow, transparent, net-veined wings and feeding mostly on flies, mosquitoes, etc. while in flight

dragonfly Usage Examples

Converse of object

  • catch: Paul fell back into the water with a splash, a fresh dragonfly caught in his outward facing teeth.
  • attract: We have four ponds, so tend to attract dragonflies, some of them stopping to lay eggs.
  • spot: Now lost in thought, now spotting a dragonfly, now a flower new to her.
  • see: I failed to see this dragonfly at all last year.
  • include: Ponds are home to native plants and hundreds of species of insects and animals including dragonflies, amphibians and water birds.
  • find: Insects 18 of the 19 species of dragonfly found in Hertfordshire can be found on King's Meads.

Adjective modifier

  • golden-ringed: Species ranging from the common darter to the golden-ringed dragonfly can be seen at Bedgebury.
  • hairy: Hairy Dragonflies are common early in the summer, especially at Furnace Pond.
  • brown: There are several brown dragonflies flying about, these settle in the sunshine in a warm spot with their wings open.
  • rare: Lowland bogs are living things, home to rare dragonflies, birds and insects.
  • red: A red dragonfly, a darter, zooms around over the pond then rests in the sun on an iris leaf.
  • large: A large dragonfly, possibly the Southern Hawker was spotted.

Modifies a noun

  • nymph: Could you tell a dragonfly nymph from a great diving beetle?
  • larva: Add dragonfly larvae, or nymphs, to your pond.
  • wing: Or rainbows of light, From dragonflies wings, On a golden summer day.
  • specie: This brings the total number of dragonfly species at the site to 11.

Noun used with modifier

  • hawker: Typical species: heron, southern hawker dragonfly, yellow water lily, common reed, alder.
  • darter: On the way back, called at Porthellick and had a red darter dragonfly.
  • emperor: The highlight of the day was finding a magnificent emperor dragonfly at the reserve for the very first time.
  • adult: Adult dragonflies often fly long distances away from water in search of prey.
dragonfly Quotes

Deep in the sun-searched growths the dragon-fly Hangs like a blue thread loosened from the sky:ö So this winged hour is dropt to us from above. Oh! clasp we to our hearts, for deathless dower, This close-companioned inarticulate hour When twofold silence was the song of love.

—Rossetti, Dante Gabriel

Browse dictionary entries near dragonfly

  1. dragonet
  2. dragon's blood
  3. dragon bonds
  4. dragon
  5. dragoman
  6. dragnet
  7. dragline
  8. draggy
  9. draggle
  10. dragging
  1. dragonhead
  2. dragoon
  3. dragrope
  4. dragster
  5. drain
  6. drain wire
  7. drainage
  8. drainage basin
  9. drainboard
  10. drainpipe