Dan Definition & Meaning

American

British

Etymology

Examples

dan 1 American [dahn, dan] / dɑn, dæn /

noun

Martial Arts.

1. a degree of expertise in karate, judo, tae kwon do, etc., usually signified by the wearing of a cloth belt of a particular color; level.

   a sixth-degree dan.

Dan 2 American [dan] / dæn /

noun

1. 1. (in the Bible) a son of Jacob and Bilhah.

   2. one of the 12 tribes of ancient Israel, traditionally descended from him.

2. the northernmost city of ancient Palestine.

3. a male given name, form of Daniel.

idioms

1. from Dan to Beersheba, from one outermost extreme or limit to the other.

Dan 3 American [dan] / dæn /

noun

Archaic.

1. a title of honor equivalent to master or sir:

   Dan Chaucer.

Dan. 4 American

abbreviation

1. Bible. Daniel.

2. Danish. Also Dan

Dan 1 British / dæn /

noun

1. 1. the fourth son of Jacob (Genesis 30:1–6)

   2. the tribe descended from him

2. a city in the northern territory of Canaan

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012 Dan. 2 British

abbreviation

1. Bible Daniel

2. Danish

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012 dan 3 British / dæn /

noun

1. any one of the 10 black-belt grades of proficiency

2. a competitor entitled to dan grading

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012 Dan 4 British / dæn /

noun

1. an archaic title of honour, equivalent to Master or Sir

   Dan Chaucer

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012 dan 5 British / dæn /

noun

1. Also called: dan buoy. a small buoy used as a marker at sea

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of dan1

First recorded in 1940–45; from Japanese, from Middle Chinese, equivalent to Chinese duàn “step, grade”

Origin of Dan3

1275–1325; Middle English < Old French danz < Medieval Latin domnus, contraction of Latin dominus “lord, master”

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Ancora’s hedge fund that houses its activist strategy manages roughly $1.5 billion in assets, a small amount compared with bigger activism outfits, such as Paul Singer’s Elliott Investment Management and Dan Loeb’s Third Point.

From The Wall Street Journal

Since the start of the war, the United States has "intercepted hundreds of ballistic missiles targeting US forces, our partners and regional stability," General Dan Caine, the top US military officer, said Monday.

From Barron's

“The vast majority of these cuts were probably not due to AI,” said Dan Dolev of Mizuho Americas, noting the “significant amount of bloating” in recent years.

From The Wall Street Journal

The U.S. expects additional losses, Air Force Gen. Dan Caine, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said at a Pentagon news conference Monday.

From Los Angeles Times

In a briefing at the Pentagon, Gen. Dan Caine, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said we are at the early stages of a “difficult and gritty” operation, adding that more U.S. forces will soon be sent to support the tens of thousands already there.

From Slate

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.