bird

1 of 2

noun

ˈbərd 

often attributive

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

5

a

: 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

birdlike

ˈbərd-ˌlīk 

adjective

Illustration of bird

• 1 crest
• 2 crown
• 3 bill
• 4 throat
• 5 auricular region
• 6 breast
• 7 scapulars
• 8 abdomen
• 9 tarsus
• 10 upper wing coverts
• 11 primaries
• 12 secondaries
• 13 rectrix
• 14 tail

see also:

for the birds

bird

2 of 2

verb

birded; birding; birds

intransitive verb

: to observe or identify wild birds in their habitats

Synonyms of bird

Noun

• person
• man
• life
• guy
• creature

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

This breeding season has launched one of the birds to internet fame through a livestreamed video of her underground nest, where a chick was expected to hatch this week. —Charlotte Graham-McLay, Los Angeles Times, 24 Feb. 2026

People who come across a bird that might be infected with avian flu are urged not to touch the animals and report the case to the Game Commission. —Alexandra Simon, CBS News, 24 Feb. 2026

Verb

Expertise was determined by screening tests rather than years of experience, although some participants had been birding for close to half a century, Wing said. —Lindsey Leake, NBC news, 23 Feb. 2026

After the sudden death of her father, Helen (Foy), loses herself in the memories of their time birding and exploring the natural world together and turns to the ancient art of falconry to navigate her profound loss. —Jill Goldsmith, Deadline, 23 Jan. 2026

Word History

Etymology

Noun

Middle English brid, bird, from Old English bridd

First Known Use

Noun

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb

1917, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing bird

• a bird in the hand is worth two in the bush
• bird colonel
• bird dog
• bird-dogging
• bird-eating spider
• bird feeder
• bird flu
• bird louse
• bird of paradise
• bird of passage
• bird of prey
• bird pepper
• bird's-eye
• bird's-eye maple
• bird's-eye view
• bird's-foot trefoil
• bird's-foot violet
• bird's-nest fern
• bird's nest soup
• bird spider
• bird-watch
• bird-watcher
• butcher-bird
• crocodile bird
• dickey bird
• dicky bird
• dolly bird
• early bird
• elephant bird
• flip (someone) the bird
• free as a bird
• frigate bird
• gallows bird
• game bird
• give (someone) the bird
• goliath bird-eating spider
• goliath bird spider
• man-o'-war bird
• quetzal bird
• rare bird
• secretary bird
• state bird
• tropic bird
• wading bird

Rhymes for bird

• blurred
• burd
• curd
• curred
• furred
• gerd
• gird
• herd
• kurd
• nerd
• purred
• sherd

Kids Definition

bird

1 of 2 noun

ˈbərd 

1

: any of a class of warm-blooded egg-laying vertebrate animals with the body covered with feathers and the forelimbs modified as wings

2

: individual sense 2, fellow

especially : a peculiar person

bird

2 of 2 verb

: to observe or identify wild birds in their natural environment

birder noun

Biographical Definition

Bird

biographical name

ˈbərd 

Larry (Joe) 1956–     American basketball player