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HOW TO PRONOUNCE

dexter

/ˈdɛks.tɝ/

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American Pronunciation Guide · 0:31
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What does dexter mean?

adjective

  1. Right; on the right-hand side. (In heraldry, specifically the bearer's right, which is the viewer's left.)

noun

  1. The right side (of a building, an equation, a heraldic shield [from the wearer's perspective], etc).
  2. One of a breed of small hardy cattle originating from the Kerry breed of Ireland, valuable for beef and milk. They are usually chiefly black, sometimes red, and somewhat resemble a small shorthorn in build.
More meanings (7)

noun

  1. A serial killer who only commits crimes against worthy targets.

proper noun

  1. A surname originating as an occupation for a female dyer.
  2. A town and census-designated place therein, in Penobscot County, Maine, United States.
  3. A town in Chaves County, New Mexico, United States.
  4. A village in the town of Brownville, Jefferson County, New York, United States, named after Simon Newton Dexter.
  5. A census-designated place in Lane County, Oregon, United States.
  6. A male given name transferred from the surname.

Definitions regrouped for readability · CC BY-SA 4.0

IPA pronunciation

/ˈdɛks.tɝ/

Wiktionary contributors · CC BY-SA 4.0

Other dictionary pronunciations

/ˈdɛkstɚ/
Wiktionary contributors · CC BY-SA 4.0

Pronunciation varies by speaker and region. About these dictionary pronunciations.

In the pages of books

See this word in context.

His armorial bearings consisted of a hand dexter with a dagger, between two broken hammer-shafts, and there they remain to this day.
James NasmythJames Nasmyth, Engineer: An AutobiographyProject Gutenberg ebook #476
An old knave of clubs on the dexter; a young knave on the sinister side; both accoutred proper.
Horace WalpoleThe Letters of Horace Walpole, Earl of Orford — Volume 2Project Gutenberg ebook #4610
More book examples (3)
Flitting by a low point abreast of the guard-ship, the dear old Dexter, which I knew well, some one on board of her sang out, "There goes a craft!"
Joshua SlocumSailing Alone Around the WorldProject Gutenberg ebook #6317
Dexter reports a case of long-continued singultus in an Irish girl of eighteen, ascribed to habitual masturbation.
George M. (George Milbrey) Gould; Walter L. (Walter Lytle) PyleAnomalies and Curiosities of MedicineProject Gutenberg ebook #747
And to his supporters, being a sailor on the dexter, and a lion on the sinister, were given these honourable augmentations: a palm branch in the sailor's hand, and another in the paw of the lion, both proper; with a tri-coloured flag and staff in the lion's mouth.
Robert SoutheyThe Life of Horatio, Lord NelsonProject Gutenberg ebook #947