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

Deer, wild turkey and more than 200 species of birds have been known to wander the park, which is alongside the Potomac River. — Angela Fritz, Washington Post, "Giant, yellow sunflowers are in peak bloom in the Washington region," 11 July 2018 The other half includes 120 different species of birds. — Katie Honan, WSJ, "Snowy Owl Makes Unexpected Visit at New York City Jail," 4 July 2018 But the chirping of birds was drowned out this past Saturday by the sounds that only a Clear Creek Swim League meet can bring as the 2018 campaign kicked off in grand fashion on Park Center Drive, home to the Pine Brookwood Orcas swim team. — Robert Avery, Houston Chronicle, "Seal swimmers post strong times in CCSL opener," 4 June 2018 As Michael Allen reports for Science, encased in an egg, the stick insect babies can travel surprising distances in the bellies of birds. — Julissa Treviño, Smithsonian, "Do Mama Stick Insects Get Eaten to Transport Their Eggs?," 30 May 2018 That peppy lead single swerves and snaps with falsetto word-salad and an earworm riff, and the video shows Longstreth surrounded by tropical birds bopping to the beat. — Zoë Madonna, BostonGlobe.com, "Rays of light from Dirty Projectors on ‘Lamp-Lit Prose’," 11 July 2018 The six men puffing up their throats like angry birds were not dancers. — Roslyn Sulcas, New York Times, "Harry Potter Doesn’t Dance. But He Sure Can Move.," 10 July 2018 This inflection is caused by a fungus called Histoplasma, which is most often found in places where there is a large amount of bird or bat droppings—like a cave. — Sarah Klein, Health.com, "The Rescued Thai Soccer Team Is Being Monitored For 'Cave Disease' and Other Health Concerns," 10 July 2018 Tracking of birds such as the stork that flew out of Siedlce, Poland, can help researchers assess their habits to inform conservation efforts. — Joshua Hafner, ajc, "Stork flies off with tracker, charity gets $2,700 phone bill," 10 July 2018

Recent Examples on the Web: Verb

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 But one day when out birding with a grad student, Bird spotted an Anna’s hummingbird, a stocky, 4-inch-long bird, and his perspective changed. — National Geographic, "The Biggest Bird That Ever Lived and 5 More Bird Superstars," 15 May 2018 Greg Miller, who has birded in all 50 states and much of Canada, is the keynote speaker. — Jessi Virtusio, Post-Tribune, "Indiana Dunes birding festival offers full weekend of events," 2 May 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.