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

Perhaps in a post-apocalyptic world, plants, birds, and humans will merge into a new mutant species. — Rachel Hahn, Vogue, "Björk and Balmain’s Olivier Rousteing on Their Otherworldly Fashion Collaboration," 10 May 2019 The bird, who apparently didn't feel like using his own wings to fly from California to Newark, somehow entered the aircraft on Thursday while passengers were boarding. — Fox News, "Bird boards United flight at San Francisco airport," 21 Sep. 2018 Foxes, snakes, birds, chickens, monkeys, cougars, and coyotes have all shown the ability to live in cities. — Aditi Shrikant, BostonGlobe.com, "When wild animals urbanize," 13 July 2018 Bob loved birds, feeding, watching, and learning about them. — Hartford Courant, courant.com, "Robert G. King Jr.," 11 July 2018 Teale wrote about insects, birds, trees, mammals, weather, water, and stone. — Denise Coffey, Courant Community, "Teale's Legacy Lives On At Trail Wood Sanctuary," 9 July 2018 Panels in the middle get tropical designs, usually birds, with plain walls on either side. — Marci Shatzman, Sun-Sentinel.com, "New I-95 sound walls rising from Boca Raton to Deerfield Beach," 6 July 2018 And at 45,130 birds, blue-winged teal were down 47% from 2017 and 58% below the long-term mean. — Paul A. Smith, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "Smith: As habitat dwindles, duck numbers deserve a close watch," 4 July 2018 Dallas Plants, pots, flowers, birds, cats, dogs, modernist furniture, books, toys—even a kitchen sink. — Judith H. Dobrzynski, WSJ, "‘Jonas Wood’ Review: Interiors Gone Wild," 1 Apr. 2019

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.