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

Last year, McIlroy closed with a 6-under 65 on Sunday to get the job done with panache—his back nine revved up crowds with a pair of eagles and a couple birdies for good measure. —Mike Dojc, Forbes.com, 1 May 2025

Novak and Griffin won the Zurich Classic — the PGA Tour’s lone team event — thanks to a 35-foot birdie putt by Griffin on the 17th hole to pull away from a congested leaderboard. —Brody Miller, New York Times, 28 Apr. 2025

Verb

DeChambeau would birdie after sending his tee shot a bit too far left. —Scott Thompson, FOXNews.com, 13 Apr. 2025

Now at 10-under par and in a tie for second with Åberg, McIlroy would birdie two of the next three holes including on hole 17 to take the lead right back, leading Rose by one-stroke entering the 18th hole. —Jacob Lev, CNN Money, 13 Apr. 2025

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