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What makes up a bevy?
There’s no need to quail when confronted with a word of uncertain origins; some mysteries are simply destined to remain as such. Etymologists have a bevy of theories about the roots of bevy, for example, but little definitive evidence—and that’s okay! What we do know is that bevy emerged out of Middle English as the collective noun for a number of birds and mammals that were commonly hunted, including pheasants, partridges, roe deer, larks, and especially quail. Bevy is still used in this way today, not only for wild game but for gulls, hens, etc. But bevies are now most often composed of a great many people and things, as in “a bevy of reporters” or “a bevy of menu options.”
Examples of bevy in a Sentence
Julia Teti, Footwear News, 27 Feb. 2026
The track credits a bevy of session musicians, including a saxophonist, a whopping six violinists, two viola players, a couple of trumpet players, a cello player, and conga player Daniel Rodriguez, who played alongside Mars at his 2025 New Year’s Eve show in Las Vegas.
—Maya Georgi, Rolling Stone, 27 Feb. 2026
William Boone Texas State will have to comb through a bevy of options at left tackle to find Dorion Strawn's replacement.
—Caleb Yum, Austin American Statesman, 26 Feb. 2026
Trump’s they-are-the-crazy ones strategy, though, depended on avoiding a bevy of topics.
—Ted Johnson, Deadline, 25 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for bevy
Cite this Entry
“Bevy.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/bevy. Accessed 9 Mar. 2026.
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