cormorant

noun

cor·​mo·​rant ˈkȯr-mə-rənt 

ˈkȯrm-, 

ˈkȯr-mə-ˌrant

1

: any of various dark-colored web-footed waterbirds (family Phalacrocoracidae, especially genus Phalacrocorax) that have a long neck, hooked bill, and distensible throat pouch

2

: a gluttonous, greedy, or rapacious person

Illustration of cormorant

Synonyms of cormorant

• pig
• hog

Examples of cormorant in a Sentence

Diamond Jim Brady was perhaps the most celebrated cormorant of the Gilded Age.

Recent Examples on the Web

The journey is as lovely as the destination, the boat slicing through glassy waters as dolphins race alongside, blubbery sea lions wobble on top of buoys, and black-and-white imperial cormorants eye their next catch in the cold, clear bay. —Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 27 Mar. 2026

Alcatraz houses large seabird populations, including egrets, Western gulls and cormorants. —Jordy Fee-Platt, New York Times, 2 Feb. 2026

Wander the windswept shoreline as waves break at your feet and Brandt’s cormorants wheel through the air. —Lewis Nunn, Forbes.com, 22 Jan. 2026

The pelicans on the water, the diving cormorants and circling ospreys, the stalking great blue herons in the shallows — all are reminders of what’s at stake for Pitt and for the West. —Brandon Loomis, AZCentral.com, 15 Dec. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Middle English cormeraunt, from Middle French cormorant, from Old French cormareng, from corp raven + marenc of the sea, from Latin marinus — more at corbel, marine

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing cormorant

• double-crested cormorant

Kids Definition

cormorant

noun

cor·​mo·​rant ˈkȯrm-(ə-)rənt 

ˈkȯr-mə-ˌrant

: any of various dark-colored web-footed seabirds with a long neck, a hooked bill, and a patch of bare often brightly colored skin under the mouth