canary

noun ca·nary \ kə-ˈner-ē \

Updated on: 2 Apr 2018

Definition of canary

plural canaries

1 : a Canary Islands usually sweet wine similar to Madeira

2 : a lively 16th century court dance

3 : a small finch (Serinus canarius synonym S. canaria) of the Canary Islands that is usually greenish to yellow and is kept as a cage bird and singer

4 slang : informer 2

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Examples of canary in a Sentence

a canary who was singing and giving up the names of some of the city's most notorious drug lords

Recent Examples of canary from the Web

The birds that visitors witness being banded might one day prove to be the canaries in the coal mine.

— maria finn, San Francisco Chronicle, "Don’t miss these great places to see California wildlife, from insects to whales," 28 Mar. 2018
Researchers have known for decades that many animals — including mice, canaries and monkeys — have the ability to produce new neurons over the course of their lives in the process known as neurogenesis.

— deborah netburn, latimes.com, "Brain tissue samples from people of all ages suggest we stop growing new neurons in our early teens," 7 Mar. 2018
Big One: the near-certainty of more indictments from Robert Mueller, who has some former Trump aides singing like canaries, paving the way for Mueller to move up the chain of command and penetrate Trump's inner circle.

— tory newmyer, Washington Post, "The Finance 202: Mueller Risk Index gauges danger to markets of the Trump-linked Russia probe," 28 Feb. 2018
Andrea adored her dogs Kiki and Gracie and bird watching, especially canaries and cardinals.

— hartford courant, courant.com, "Andrea Mary Kowalczyk," 25 Feb. 2018
Her poignant question offered a glimpse into the lonely early days of an artist finding their first audience, one part canary in an uncertain coal mine, two parts revolutionaries in training.

— ellen mcgirt, Fortune, "raceAhead: Invest In Tomorrow's Luminaries," 17 Jan. 2018
As usual, artists are the canaries in the coal mines — giving voice to those who cannot represent themselves.

— michael t. luongo, New York Times, "Arab and Coming Out in Art That Speaks Up," 12 Jan. 2018
Charity, then, might be seen as the canary in the coal mine.

— michael tanner, National Review, "Why Is There So Much Government Hostility to Private Charity?," 10 Jan. 2018
If climate change is a fiery coal-mine disaster, then Barrow is our canary.

— angela fritz, Washington Post, "This city in Alaska is warming so fast, algorithms removed the data because it seemed unreal," 12 Dec. 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'canary.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of canary

Medieval French canarie, from Old Spanish canario, from Islas Canarias Canary Islands

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 1592

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Other Birds Terms

aerie, bunting, clutch, covey, hackle, ratite, rictus, ruff, skein, zygodactyl

CANARY Defined for English Language Learners

canary

noun

Definition of canary for English Language Learners

: a small usually yellow or green tropical bird that is often kept in a cage

CANARY Defined for Kids

canary

noun ca·nary \ kə-ˈner-ē \

Definition of canary for Students

plural canaries

: a small usually yellow songbird often kept in a cage

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See words that rhyme with canary Spanish Central: Translation of canary Nglish: Translation of canary for Spanish speakers Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about canary

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Definition of canary

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CANARY Defined for English Language Learners

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Definition of canary for English Language Learners

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