n.
- A slender, pointed missile, often having tail fins, thrown by hand, shot from a blowgun, or expelled by an exploding bomb.
- An object likened to a slender, pointed missile either in shape, use, or effect.
- The stinger of an insect.
- darts (used with a sing. or pl. verb) Games. A game in which small, slender, pointed missiles are thrown at a target.
- A sudden, rapid movement.
- A tapered tuck sewn to adjust the fit of a garment.
v., dart·ed, dart·ing, darts. v.intr.
To move suddenly and rapidly: The dog darted across the street.
v.tr.
- To thrust or throw suddenly and rapidly.
- To cause to move swiftly and abruptly: The squirrel darted its head from side to side before scampering up the tree.
- To shoot (an animal) with a tranquilizing dart.
[Middle English, from Old French, of Germanic origin.]
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition Copyright © 2007, 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Updated in 2009. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.