chickadee

noun

chick·​a·​dee ˈchi-kə-(ˌ)dē 

: any of several small North American oscine birds (genus Poecile of the family Paridae) that are related to the titmice, usually have the crown of the head distinctly darker than the body, and have sometimes been placed especially formerly in a related genus (Parus)

Examples of chickadee in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Puddles offer splash landing-pads to any child in flight; display their dreams through windows into the world above: limbs and last leaves of sumac and hickory, a passing black-capped chickadee, and – down in the far blue – a blouse of cloud. —Contributing Monitor Poets, Christian Science Monitor, 23 Apr. 2025

Think of the Rocky Mountains and birds such as Clark's nutcracker, the mountain chickadee and rosy finches. —Elizabeth Weise, USA TODAY, 11 Mar. 2025

Eastern bluebirds prefer to nest on the edge of open spaces, while chickadees like wooded areas. —Mary Marlowe Leverette, Southern Living, 2 Apr. 2025

And yet chickadees may pay a price for their expansive spatial memories. —Matthew Hutson, The New Yorker, 29 Dec. 2024

Word History

Etymology

imitative

First Known Use

1832, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for chickadee

• agree
• allee
• banshee
• beastly
• bibi
• bowsprit
• carefree
• cerci
• chablis
• cowpea
• crappie
• crappy

Kids Definition

chickadee

noun

chick·​a·​dee ˈchik-ə-(ˌ)dē 

: any of several small North American birds with the top of the head black or brown