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

The company is confident that eco-conscious, well-to-do consumers will pay more to know whether their cage-free bird really enjoyed a daily walkabout before its demise. — Robyn Metcalfe, WSJ, "The Life Story of Your Supermarket Chicken: Food Tracking Goes High-Tech," 21 Feb. 2019 Health officials have also been reminding people to properly handle and cook their Thanksgiving birds amid a widespread salmonella outbreak linked to raw turkey. — Candice Choi, The Seattle Times, "Americans, Canadians are warned not to eat romaine lettuce," 21 Nov. 2018 They are suspected side effects of genetic selection that now allows meat companies to raise a 6.3-pound bird in 47 days, roughly... — Jacob Bunge, WSJ, "Fast-Growth Chickens Produce New Industry Woe: ‘Spaghetti Meat’," 10 Mar. 2019 Season three followed largely the same sexless trajectory with the two cross-century love birds trying to find their way back to each other. — Wendy Naugle, Glamour, "Outlander's Sex Scenes Are More Than Hot—They're Genuinely Feminist," 7 Dec. 2018 Wildlife rehabilitator Kasha Breau has taken care of many a baby bird in her day. — Denise Coffey, Courant Community, "Found A Baby Bird? Here's What To Do," 17 June 2018 Early spring is best because many insects overwinter in plants, and the native seed heads are a good food source for birds in the winter. — Jennifer Rude Klett, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "Micro prairies: No yard is too small to go with earth-friendly native plants," 25 May 2018 Here, chef Shigetosi Narita’s artful dishes, which are usually centered on some kind of bird, come skewered and grilled. — Michaela Trimble, Vogue, "An Insider’s Guide to the Little Tokyo of Mexico City," 23 Jan. 2019 Harry has explained to her that the numbers of birds need to be kept down on the estate and that this is all part of the management. — Lucy Wood, Marie Claire, "Kate Middleton Reportedly Waited Until Meghan Markle Left Sandringham Before Joining the Royal Family Hunt," 31 Dec. 2018

Recent Examples on the Web: Verb

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 The park offers picnicking, birding, and restroom facilities and is situated near downtown Flat Rock for folks looking to grab a sub sandwich or ice cream cone. — Lydia Lohrer, Detroit Free Press, "Memorial Day fishing guide: Hot spots in Metro Detroit, around state," 26 May 2018 When birding Latta Park, always check along the stream and adjacent shrubs and thickets first. — Taylor Piephoff, charlotteobserver, "Brightly plumaged migrants rest up at Latta Park in Dilworth | Charlotte Observer," 29 Apr. 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.