king penguin

noun

: a large penguin (Aptenodytes patagonicus) chiefly of subantarctic areas with a yellow patch on the upper breast

Examples of king penguin in a Sentence

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The area has around 2,000 pairs of king penguins that breed there annually – which accounts for almost all of the remaining kings in the region. New Atlas, 2 Nov. 2025 Those include six days in the Northwest Passage between the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans; three days in South Georgia, home to king penguins and other wildlife; and five days in Antarctica. Nathan Diller, USA Today, 11 Aug. 2025 The surrounding islands, however, belong to their slightly smaller noble cousin — the king penguin. Irene Wright, Miami Herald, 15 Apr. 2025 Image Our collective longing to connect with animals is evident in the viral popularity of animal celebrities on social media — who can resist Pesto the chubby baby king penguin, Hua Hua the panda or Moo Deng, the ornery baby pygmy hippo? Alexandra Alter, New York Times, 23 Mar. 2025 See All Example Sentences for king penguin

Word History

First Known Use

1776, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of king penguin was in 1776

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Cite this Entry

“King penguin.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/king%20penguin. Accessed 17 Nov. 2025.

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