dragonfly

UK: /ˈdrægənflaɪ/ US: /ˈdrægənˌflaɪ/ ,(drag′ən flī′)

Inflections of 'dragonfly' (n): npl: dragonflies

WordReference Random House Learner's Dictionary of American English © 2025

drag•on•fly /ˈdrægənˌflaɪ/   n. [countable] , pl. -flies. 

1. Insects a nonstinging insect having the wings open when at rest.

WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2025

drag•on•fly  (drag′ən flī′), n., pl. -flies. 

1. Insects any of numerous stout-bodied, nonstinging insects of the order Odonata (suborder Anisoptera), the species of which prey on mosquitoes and other insects and are distinguished from the damselflies by having the wings outstretched rather than folded when at rest.
2. Military (cap.) a two-seat, twin-turbojet U.S. attack aircraft in service since 1967, armed with a Minigun and capable of carrying nearly 5700 lb. (2585 kg) of ordnance.

• dragon + fly² 1620–30

Regional Variation

1. the dragonfly is also called a darning needle and a devil's darning needle in the Northern and Western U.S. In the Northern U.S. it is also called a sewing needle. In the Midland U.S. it is called a snake feeder, in the South Midland and Southern U.S. a snake doctor, and in the Southern U.S., esp. in the Southern Coastal areas, it is called a mosquito hawk or a skeeter hawk. Spindle is also in use, chiefly in New Jersey and in the Delaware Valley. Ear sewer is in older use in some scattered regional areas.

Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::

dragonfly / ˈdræɡənˌflaɪ/ noun ( -flies)

1. any predatory insect of the suborder Anisoptera, having a large head and eyes, a long slender body, two pairs of iridescent wings that are outspread at rest, and aquatic larvae: order Odonata
   See also damselfly