Illustration of bird
- 1 crest
- 2 crown
- 3 bill
- 4 throat
- 5 auricular region
- 6 breast
- 7 scapulars
- 8 abdomen
- 9 tarsus
- 10 upper wing coverts
- 11 primaries
- 12 secondaries
- 13 rectrix
- 14 tail
often attributive
1
archaic
: the young of a feathered vertebrate
2
: any of a class (Aves) of warm-blooded vertebrates distinguished by having the body more or less completely covered with feathers and the forelimbs modified as wings
3
: a game bird
4
6
7
chiefly British
a
: a hissing or jeering sound expressive of disapproval
b
: dismissal from employment
8
: a thin piece of meat rolled up with stuffing and cooked
9
: a man-made object (such as an aircraft, rocket, or satellite) that resembles a bird especially by flying or being aloft
10
: an obscene gesture of contempt made by pointing the middle finger upward while keeping the other fingers down
—usually used with the
called also finger
11
Synonyms
Examples of bird in a Sentence
Noun
A large bird flew overhead.
The birds were singing outside our window.
He's a tough old bird.
We met some smashing birds at the pub last night.
Recent Examples on the Web
New York Times, 12 Feb. 2023
While Flaco had been spotted in various parts of the city, police admitted the bird was difficult to capture and was certainly a flight risk.
—Tina Burnside, CNN, 9 Feb. 2023
Joe Rassel, Orlando Sentinel, 20 Nov. 2024
Blas’s anger and grief are my critique of birding from a Brown teenage birder’s point of view, because that is the community being left out.
—Samantha Dunn, Orange County Register, 10 Sep. 2024
See all Example Sentences for bird 
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
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Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
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Noun
Everyone seemed concerned but there was nothing to be done because the bird was out of reach.
—New York Times, 12 Feb. 2023
While Flaco had been spotted in various parts of the city, police admitted the bird was difficult to capture and was certainly a flight risk.
—Tina Burnside, CNN, 9 Feb. 2023
Verb
Led by excellent local and out-of-town birders, the 70 trips over five days include: photo trips, birding by bicycle, birding by kayak, a Young Birders trip (for ages 8-17), Learning About Birds through Drawing, and many trips searching for rare birds in Central Florida.
—Joe Rassel, Orlando Sentinel, 20 Nov. 2024
Blas’s anger and grief are my critique of birding from a Brown teenage birder’s point of view, because that is the community being left out.
—Samantha Dunn, Orange County Register, 10 Sep. 2024
See all Example Sentences for bird
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Dictionary Entries Near bird
Cite this Entry
“Bird.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/bird. Accessed 1 Dec. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
bird
1 of 2 noun1
: any of a class of warm-blooded egg-laying vertebrate animals with the body covered with feathers and the forelimbs modified as wings
2
: individual sense 2, fellow
especially
: a peculiar person
bird
2 of 2 verb
: to observe or identify wild birds in their natural environment
birder
noun
Biographical Definition
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