bird

play

noun, often attributive \ ˈbərd \

Definition of bird

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

5 a :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 2

—

birdlike

play \-ˌlīk\ adjective

— for the birds

:worthless, ridiculous

See bird defined for English-language learners

See bird defined for kids

Examples of bird in a Sentence

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 of bird from the Web

A woman reported that a bird in front of her home appeared injured.

— Washington Post, "Prince George’s County Animal Watch," 29 Aug. 2017
Grigsby Prairie and Flint Creek Savanna can be seen from their perimeters, havens for birds, bees, butterflies and hummingbirds – those magical, elusive and amazing flyers.

— barbara benson, chicagotribune.com, "Column: Barrington conservationist leaves indelible mark on area," 23 Aug. 2017
When the midday night song ended, as the sun broke free of the moon to bathe the countryside in daylight again, the birds responded with their morning song.

— jay bennett, Popular Mechanics, "The Cosmic Weirdness of Solar Eclipse Totality," 21 Aug. 2017
Some birds may become confused and start singing their end-of-the-day songs.

— henry fountain, New York Times, "Before a Solar Eclipse Crosses 14 States, a Great American Road Trip," 20 Aug. 2017
A wealthy San Francisco socialite pursues a potential boyfriend to a small Northern California town that slowly takes a turn for the worst when birds of all kinds suddenly begin to attack people.

— the tylt, AL.com, "Alfred Hitchcock's best film: 'Psycho' or 'The Birds'?," 18 Aug. 2017
To accommodate big crowds trying to see tiny birds during the banding program from 3 to 5 p.m., a large tent will be set up with seating and viewing screens.

— vickie snow jurkowski, Daily Southtown, "August is hummingbird season," 10 Aug. 2017
There was a faint smell of pine in the air, the sounds of birds singing, and bugs buzzing.

— heather millman, Teen Vogue, "What Summer Camp Taught Me About Making Friends," 31 July 2017
Firing Short may turn out to have been a two-birds-one-stone situation for the Mooch, who is reportedly eager to clean shop.

— bess levin, The Hive, "Anthony Scaramucci Draws First Blood in West Wing Battle Royale," 25 July 2017

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.