Illustration of roadrunner
roadrunner
noun
road·run·ner
ˈrōd-ˌrə-nər 
: a largely terrestrial bird (Geococcyx californianus) of the cuckoo family that has a long tail and a crest, is a speedy runner, and inhabits arid regions from the southwestern U.S. to Mexico
also
: a closely related bird (G. velox) of Mexico and Central America
Examples of roadrunner in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Non-canid predators like roadrunners and grasshopper mice did not trigger the response at all.
—
Ryan Brennan, Miami Herald, 13 Apr. 2026
However, there is one element that is unique to Coachella and the Stagecoach Country Music Festival — a custom logo of a palm tree and a roadrunner at the center of the wheel that light up when the sun goes down.
—Vanessa Franko, Los Angeles Times, 12 Apr. 2026
The 12 winning photographers took images of a coyote, a roadrunner with a California kingsnake, an Eastern collared lizard, an antelope squirrel, a pronghorn, a bluebird, a bison, a mule deer, a white-nosed coati, an elk and a turkey.
—Noël Fletcher, Forbes.com, 29 Dec. 2025
But then Lacey was back with the kids, banging around in the kitchen, and the first of the evening’s friends and acquaintances began to show up and the blessedness passed, as had the roadrunner, hyperactive and vigilant and always on the make, gone off to seek somebody else’s snakes.
—T. Coraghessan Boyle, New Yorker, 14 Sep. 2025
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Ryan Brennan, Miami Herald, 13 Apr. 2026
However, there is one element that is unique to Coachella and the Stagecoach Country Music Festival — a custom logo of a palm tree and a roadrunner at the center of the wheel that light up when the sun goes down.
—Vanessa Franko, Los Angeles Times, 12 Apr. 2026
The 12 winning photographers took images of a coyote, a roadrunner with a California kingsnake, an Eastern collared lizard, an antelope squirrel, a pronghorn, a bluebird, a bison, a mule deer, a white-nosed coati, an elk and a turkey.
—Noël Fletcher, Forbes.com, 29 Dec. 2025
But then Lacey was back with the kids, banging around in the kitchen, and the first of the evening’s friends and acquaintances began to show up and the blessedness passed, as had the roadrunner, hyperactive and vigilant and always on the make, gone off to seek somebody else’s snakes.
—T. Coraghessan Boyle, New Yorker, 14 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for roadrunner
Cite this Entry
“Roadrunner.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/roadrunner. Accessed 16 Apr. 2026.
Copy CitationKids Definition
roadrunner
noun
road·run·ner
ˈrō-ˌdrən-ər
: a long-tailed ground-dwelling bird of the southwestern U.S. that usually travels by running
called also chaparral bird, chaparral cock
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