bird

noun, often attributive

\ ˈbərd

Definition of bird

(Entry 1 of 3)

1 archaic : the young of a feathered vertebrate

2 : any of a class (Aves) of warm-blooded vertebrates distinguished by having the body more or less completely covered with feathers and the forelimbs modified as wings

3 : a game bird

4 : clay pigeon

5a : fellow

b : a peculiar person

c chiefly British : girl

6 : shuttlecock

7 chiefly British

a : a hissing or jeering sound expressive of disapproval

b : dismissal from employment

8 : a thin piece of meat rolled up with stuffing and cooked

9 : a man-made object (such as an aircraft, rocket, or satellite) that resembles a bird especially by flying or being aloft

10 : an obscene gesture of contempt made by pointing the middle finger upward while keeping the other fingers down —usually used with the

— called also finger

11 : birdie sense 2

for the birds

: worthless, ridiculous

bird

verb

birded; birding; birds

Definition of bird (Entry 2 of 3)

intransitive verb

: to observe or identify wild birds in their habitats

Bird

biographical name

\ ˈbərd

Definition of Bird (Entry 3 of 3)

Larry 1956– Lawrence Joseph Bird American basketball player

Other Words from bird Synonyms Example Sentences Learn More about bird

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Examples of bird in a Sentence

Noun

A large bird flew overhead. The birds were singing outside our window. He's a tough old bird. We met some smashing birds at the pub last night.

Recent Examples on the Web: Noun

And of course, old sparks are rekindled, and the two former love-birds are left to rethink their choices. — Rebecca Angel Baer, Southern Living, "These Two TV Stars Are Making Their Hallmark Channel Debut," 15 June 2019 Oehlers and her colleagues have learned a lot about the birds in recent years. — Anchorage Daily News, "Monitoring a mystery bird on Southeast Alaska ocean spits," 15 June 2019 The bird typically returns to feed multiple times during the season. — oregonlive.com, "Ask an Expert: Selectively thin branches, rather than ‘top’ a Raywood ash," 14 June 2019 The bird examined it and plucked it off the grass, only to drop it a few seconds later. — Tod Leonard And Sam Farmer, latimes.com, "Tiger Woods feeling ‘hot’ after bogeys on 17 and 18 at U.S. Open," 14 June 2019 The bird examined it and plucked it off the grass, only to drop it a few seconds later. — Tod Leonard, San Diego Union-Tribune, "Mickelson’s U.S. Open drama: birdies, bogeys, seagulls, oh my!," 14 June 2019 The ravenous larvae then feed on their victims’ keratin, tissue and blood, eventually moving from the nares to feed externally on the developing birds. — Brigit Katz, Smithsonian, "Parasites Are Ruining the Lovesongs of Darwin’s Finches," 13 June 2019 When God first created the world, the birds were formed without wings. — Rabbi Avi Weiss, sun-sentinel.com, "Limitation can be a conduit to freedom," 12 June 2019 Feathers are obtained naturally after the bird has lived its life or unexpectedly dies in the natural course of life. — Elizabeth Montgomery, azcentral, "USA TODAY NETWORK awards grants to seven Valley groups as part of giving-back initiative," 11 June 2019

Recent Examples on the Web: Verb

Download the Great Birding Guide from the Galveston Island Nature Tourism Council to find the area's top birding locations. — Houston Chronicle, "Have fun in Galveston without breaking the bank," 14 June 2019 But the elision of bird-birder-birding somehow touched the beyond, and birding is now the word of choice.... — Laura Jacobs, WSJ, "Book Review: Why Birders Flock Together," 17 May 2019 Its filmmaker, Jeffrey Kimball, an urban birding convert, captured four seasons of Central Park’s birding community in an engaging portrait of its singular characters. — Penelope Green, New York Times, "Young Urban Birders, Open Your Hearts to the Treetops!," 23 June 2018 EASY PEEPERS North River Wildlife Sanctuary offers birding by van at monthly outings. — Robert Knox, BostonGlobe.com, "Floral art makes the books bloom in Norwell," 20 Apr. 2018 But instead of writing the obvious profile, Taffy made birding the foundation for a story about a man who, in the age of sharing, has built a fence around himself. — Emilia Petrarca, The Cut, "What Paris Couture and Jonathan Franzen Have in Common," 6 July 2018 Courtesy of Crystal Lagoon Fishing piers, birding trails, wildlife blinds, butterfly gardens, bicycle paths and playgrounds. — Houston Chronicle, "Houston nature centers and preserves," 10 May 2018 Kuchar, ranked 21st in the world, stood at 1 under after his first 11 holes before birding four of his final seven — all on putts of 15 feet or less — to move into second. — BostonGlobe.com, "Rory Sabbatini surges to early RBC Heritage lead; No. 1 Dustin Johnson five back," 13 Apr. 2018 With thousands of sites for people to bird and record their findings, officials expect any incorrect information to be negligible. — Joshua Bowling, azcentral, "Program asks for public's help spotting, researching birds in regional counting project," 24 May 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'bird.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.