flamingo

noun

fla·​min·​go flə-ˈmiŋ-(ˌ)gō 

plural flamingos also flamingoes

: any of several large aquatic birds (family Phoenicopteridae) with long legs and neck, webbed feet, a broad lamellate bill resembling that of a duck but abruptly bent downward, and usually rosy-white plumage with scarlet wing coverts and black wing quills

Illustration of flamingo

Examples of flamingo in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Flamingo chick hatches While Zoo Miami is saying goodbye to one old friend, keepers also announced Friday that one of four flamingo chicks has hatched. —Devoun Cetoute, Miami Herald, 26 July 2025

The Rhône spills into the wild Camargue delta, where white horses gallop through salt marshes, flamingos strike poses in pink lagoons, and black bulls roam freely beneath the vast Provençal sky. —Lewis Nunn, Forbes.com, 24 July 2025

This is a full-sensory experience with everything from the whir of roller skates on a retro rink to enough pink to make a flamingo blush. —Ana Gutierrez, Austin American Statesman, 2 July 2025

Prior to 2023, few flamingo sightings were reported in the state. —Roger Simmons, The Orlando Sentinel, 30 June 2025

Word History

Etymology

obsolete Spanish flamengo (now flamenco), literally, Fleming, German (conventionally thought of as ruddy-complexioned)

First Known Use

1565, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for flamingo

• bingo
• dingo
• gringo
• lingo

Kids Definition

flamingo

noun

fla·​min·​go flə-ˈmiŋ-gō 

plural flamingos also flamingoes

: any of several rosy-white birds with scarlet wings, a very long neck and legs, and a broad bill bent down at the end that are often found wading in shallow water

Etymology

from Portuguese flamingo "flamingo," from Spanish flamenco "flamingo," derived from Latin flamma "flame"; so called from the fiery red feathers on the underside of the wings