canary

noun

ca·​nary kə-ˈner-ē 

plural canaries

1

: a Canary Islands usually sweet wine similar to Madeira

2

: a lively 16th century court dance

3

: a small finch (Serinus canaria synonym S. canarius) of the Canary Islands that is usually greenish to yellow and is kept as a cage bird and singer

4

slang : informer sense 2

Synonyms of canary

• informant
• informer
• rat

Examples of canary in a Sentence

a canary who was singing and giving up the names of some of the city's most notorious drug lords

Recent Examples on the Web

There is also growing concern within the House Republican caucus that Greene’s announcement is a canary in the coal mine and that multiple resignations will follow. —Charlie Hunt, The Conversation, 26 Dec. 2025

So is the Broomfield condo market the canary in the coal mine for the larger metro Denver housing market, a signal that the oxygen is gone and that home prices could fall across the region next year? —Aldo Svaldi, Denver Post, 23 Dec. 2025

However, the canary in the coal mine for the broader economy is the crisis facing Black women. —Katica Roy, Fortune, 18 Dec. 2025

Ten minutes before the event was set to end, Banks’s canary-yellow Santa SMiZE graphics filled the screens on the walls, and a DJ started looping her Christmas track. —Rebecca Alter, Vulture, 12 Dec. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Middle French canarie, from Old Spanish canario, from Islas Canarias Canary Islands

First Known Use

1592, in the meaning defined at sense 2

Phrases Containing canary

• canary seed
• canary yellow
• like the cat that ate/got/swallowed the canary

Rhymes for canary

• askari
• astbury
• azeri
• banbury
• barberry
• blackberry
• blueberry
• cranberry
• dentary
• dewberry
• dogberry
• equerry

Kids Definition

canary

noun

ca·​nary kə-ˈne(ə)r-ē 

plural canaries

: a small usually yellow or greenish finch native to the Canary Islands that is often kept in a cage