Word forms: plural, 3rd person singular presenttense darts, present participle darting, past tense, past participle darted
1. verb
If a person or animal darts somewhere, they move there suddenly and quickly.
[written]
Ingrid darted across the deserted street. [VERB preposition/adverb]
The girl turned and darted away through the trees. [VERB preposition/adverb]
Synonyms: dash, run, race, shoot More Synonyms of dart
2. verb
If you dart a look at someone or something, or if your eyes dartto them, you look at them very quickly.
[literary]
She darted a sly sideways glance at Bramwell. [VERB noun + at]
The conductor's eyes darted to Wilfred, then fixed on Michael again. [VERB preposition/adverb]
Synonyms: shoot, send, cast More Synonyms of dart
3. countable noun
A dart is a small, narrow object with a sharp point which can be thrown or shot.
Markov died after being struck by a poison dart.
Synonyms: arrow, missile, shaft, projectile More Synonyms of dart
4. uncountable noun
Darts is a game in which you throw darts at a round board which has numbers on it.
More Synonyms of dart
dart in British English1
(dɑːt)
noun
1.
a small narrow pointed missile that is thrown or shot, as in the game of darts
2.
a sudden quick movement
3. zoology
a slender pointed structure, as in snails for aiding copulation or in nematodes for penetrating the host's tissues
4.
a tapered tuck made in dressmaking
verb
5.
to move or throw swiftly and suddenly; shoot
she darted across the room
Derived forms
darting (ˈdarting)
adjective
dartingly (ˈdartingly)
adverb
Word origin
C14: from Old French, of Germanic origin; related to Old English daroth spear, Old High German tart dart
dart in British English2
(dɑːt)
noun
any of various tropical and semitropical marine fish
Word origin
from Middle English darce, from Late Latin dardus, dart, javelin
dart in American English
(dɑrt)
noun
1.
a small, pointed missile, usually with the rear end feathered, used as for throwing at a target in games or for shooting from a blowgun
2.
anything resembling this
3.
a sudden, quick movement
4.
a short, stitched fold that tapers to a point, used to shape a garment
5. [pl., with sing. v.]
a game in which darts (see dart (sense 1)) are thrown at a target (ˈdartˌboard)
verb transitive, verb intransitive
6.
to throw, shoot, or send out suddenly and fast
7.
to move suddenly and fast
Word origin
ME < OFr < Frank *darod (akin to OE daroth), spear
Examples of 'dart' in a sentence
dart
Sterling was darting around, looking for pockets of space, but missing a glorious chance from close range.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
His eyes darted towards the parade of shops.
The Sun (2014)
Plus a sea so clear that we spotted fish darting along the bottom.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
The animals dart between or through the trees and along the streams in a sheltered woodland setting.
Times, Sunday Times (2008)
Simply throw the dart and see where it lands.
The Sun (2009)
Her eyes dart towards him when the couple are questioned by the media.
Times, Sunday Times (2007)
He notices my eye darting towards the glass.
Times, Sunday Times (2011)
He had brilliant darting eyes and talked incessantly.
Marsden, Philip The Crossing-Place (1993)
The dart board 's still there though.
Times, Sunday Times (2015)
It's the same for anything that involves a snooker cue or a dart board.
The Sun (2008)
The animals were darting all over the place, out of their minds with terror.
The Sun (2008)
My job was often actually throwing the dart out of sight, since they were hopeless at aiming.
Times, Sunday Times (2008)
I could only raise my arm so far to throw a dart or drink a pint and then it was so painful.
The Sun (2009)
What I should do is make them into a dart board.
Times, Sunday Times (2010)
But I taught myself how to throw a dart again with intense practice.
The Sun (2011)
Suddenly, he darts off on a detour and we had to run for another 20 minutes.
Times, Sunday Times (2009)
You just need beer pumps, a dart board, lino.
The Sun (2015)
The quick dart down the corridor to the loo in your underpants at 3am as you lurch through France.
Times, Sunday Times (2009)
She got to the top (no more than four feet off the ground) when suddenly her mum darted over.
Times, Sunday Times (2014)
After many attempts to catch the little fish darting in and out, I finally captured a great one.
Times, Sunday Times (2009)
In other languages
dart
British English: dart /dɑːt/ NOUN
A dart is a small, narrow object with a sharp point which you can throw or shoot.
The idea was to burst a balloon by throwing a dart.
American English: dart
Arabic: سَهْم
Brazilian Portuguese: dardo
Chinese: 飞镖
Croatian: strelica
Czech: šipka hrací
Danish: pil
Dutch: pijltje
European Spanish: dardo
Finnish: tikkanuoli
French: fléchette
German: Wurfpfeil
Greek: βελάκι
Italian: freccetta
Japanese: ダーツ用の投げ矢
Korean: 가늘고 짧은 화살
Norwegian: pil
Polish: rzutka
European Portuguese: dardo
Romanian: săgeată
Russian: дротик
Latin American Spanish: dardo
Swedish: pil kasta pil
Thai: ลูกดอก
Turkish: dart oku
Ukrainian: дротик
Vietnamese: phi tiêu
British English: dart VERB
If a person or animal darts somewhere, they move there suddenly and quickly.
Ingrid darted across the deserted street.
American English: dart
Brazilian Portuguese: precipitar-se
Chinese: 飞奔
European Spanish: precipitarse
French: se précipiter
German: flitzen
Italian: sfrecciare
Japanese: すばやく動く
Korean: 날쌔게 움직이다
European Portuguese: precipitar-se
Latin American Spanish: precipitarse
All related terms of 'dart'
Old Dart
→ the Old Dart
paper dart
a dart made from paper, for throwing at things or people for leisure , etc
cupid's dart
any of the hardy perennial genus Catananche , from S Europe; some, esp C. caerulea, are grown for their blue-and-white flowers that can be dried as winter decoration : family Asteraceae
egg and dart
an ornamental moulding in which a half egg shape alternates with a dart , tongue , or anchor shape
the Old Dart
England
tranquilizer dart
a dart filled with a tranquillizer that is shot from a gun in order to temporarily sedate an animal so that it may be handled safely
tranquillizer dart
a dart filled with a tranquillizer that is shot from a gun in order to temporarily sedate an animal so that it may be handled safely
Chinese translation of 'dart'
dart
(dɑːt)
vi
[person, animal]急冲(衝) (jíchōng)
(liter)[eyes]飞(飛)快地瞥一眼 (fēikuài de piē yī yǎn)
vt
(liter)[look, glance]瞥 (piē)
n(c)
(in game) 飞(飛)镖(鏢) (fēibiāo) (枚, méi)
(= weapon) 镖(鏢) (biāo)
Derived Forms
dartsn pl投镖(鏢)游(遊)戏(戲) (tóubiāo yóuxì)
1 (noun)
Definition
a small narrow pointed missile that is thrown or shot, as in the game of darts
He was struck in the arm by a poisoned dart.
Synonyms
arrow
warriors armed with bows and arrows
missile
nuclear missiles
shaft
projectile
an enormous artillery gun used to fire a huge projectile
2 (noun)
Definition
a sudden quick movement
He made a dart for the finishing line.
Synonyms
dash
a 160-mile dash to hospital
run
a six mile run
rush
The explosion caused panic and a mad rush for the doors.
sprint
race
a running race across the Sahara desert
bolt
a bolt for freedom
spurt
I flushed bright red as a spurt of anger flashed through me.
sortie
1 (verb)
Definition
to move or throw swiftly and suddenly
She darted away through the trees.
Synonyms
dash
Suddenly she dashed out into the garden.
run
I excused myself and ran back to the telephone.
race
They raced away out of sight.
shoot
They had almost reached the boat when a figure shot past them.
fly
I flew downstairs.
speed
The engine noise rises only slightly as I speed along.
spring
tear
The door flew open and she tore into the room.
rush
Someone inside the building rushed out.
bound
flash
Cars flashed by every few minutes.
hurry
Claire hurried along the road.
sprint
He sprinted to the car.
bolt
I made some excuse and bolted towards the exit.
hasten
She hastened along the landing to her room.
whizz
A car whizzed past.
haste
flit
the bird that flits from tree to tree
scoot
He scooted up the stairs.
2 (verb)
Definition
to move or throw swiftly and suddenly
She darted a sly glance at him.
Synonyms
shoot
send
He let me go with a thrust of his wrist that sent me flying.