birdie

1 of 2

noun

bird·​ie ˈbər-dē 

plural birdies

1

: a little bird

2

: a golf score of one stroke less than par on a hole compare eagle entry 1

3

: shuttlecock

In Asia, badminton is an obsession … . In one preliminary match in Malaysia, 21,000 people came out to watch the speeding birdie.

—Jennifer Boeth

birdie

2 of 2

verb

birdied; birdieing

transitive verb

: to score a birdie on

Examples of birdie in a Sentence

Noun

I made a birdie on the fifth hole.

I made birdie on the fifth hole.

Verb

She birdied the second hole.

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

That set up as thrilling a back nine as the Masters has ever seen, marked by Nicklaus making a 40-foot birdie putt on the 16th hole to outlast Weiskopf and Johnny Miller. —ABC News, 11 Apr. 2026

McIlroy’s roller coaster round included three bogeys, four birdies and a double-bogey for a 73, which dropped him to 11 under for the tournament. —Doug Ferguson, The Orlando Sentinel, 11 Apr. 2026

Verb

McIlroy birdies six of the final seven holes to take the largest lead ever through the first 36 holes at the Masters. —Los Angeles Times, 10 Apr. 2026

Nelly Korda birdied her final two holes to shoot a 69 to move to 5 under and in second place, setting up a final pairing of friendly rivals. —ABC News, 5 Apr. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

Noun

1768, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb

1921, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for birdie

• gurdy
• purdy
• sturdy
• thirty
• wordy