cormorant

cor·mo·rant | \ ˈkȯrm-rənt

How to pronounce cormorant (audio)

, ˈkȯr-mə-, ˈkȯr-mə-ˌrant \

Definition of cormorant

1 : any of various dark-colored web-footed waterbirds (family Phalacrocoracidae, especially genus Phalacrocorax) that have a long neck, hooked bill, and distensible throat pouch

2 : a gluttonous, greedy, or rapacious person

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Examples of cormorant in a Sentence

Diamond Jim Brady was perhaps the most celebrated cormorant of the Gilded Age.

Recent Examples on the Web The little rocky outpost is a sanctuary for a number of bird species with vulnerable populations, including great black-backed and herring gulls, as well as cormorants and shags. — Ryan Prior, CNN, "Why sea birds regurgitated thousands of rubber bands on an uninhabited British island," 23 Oct. 2019 Common and Roseate Terns, as well as other species that include American Oystercatchers, Northern Gannets and cormorants, all depend on those types of forage fish, experts said. — Gregory B. Hladky, courant.com, "Climate change has pushed Long Island Sound and its birds to "the edge of major, hard-to-predict changes,” reports says," 5 Dec. 2019 About 5 percent of surviving ducks and a third of living pelicans/cormorants ‘‘show some sign of injury or impaired movement.’’ The storm packed 3-inch hail and winds gusting to 74 miles per hour. — Matthew Cappucci, BostonGlobe.com, "Montana hailstorm slaughters 11,000 birds," 21 Aug. 2019 Their enclosures are located on a trail that continues onto a wetland observation deck overlooking water-treatment ponds that attract storks, cormorants and anhingas. — Bonnie Gross, sun-sentinel.com, "Where the wildlife are: South Florida sanctuaries that rehab animals worth a visit," 16 Sep. 2019 Hundreds of black cormorant birds stood as if sentries on the rocks east of the cove. — Don Norcross, San Diego Union-Tribune, "Swimmers return to La Jolla for open-water race," 8 Sep. 2019 If the Port of Tyne became a free port, enthuses Matt Beeton, its chief executive, more firms would move into space currently occupied by weeds and cormorants. — The Economist, "What free ports can and can’t achieve," 8 Aug. 2019 Plymouth County: Observers at Manomet Center for Conservation Science found three great cormorants and a horned grebe. — BostonGlobe.com, "Bird sightings," 4 Aug. 2019 Hello, double crested cormorants, and welcome to another edition of This Week in Timothée Chalamet. — Cady Drell, Marie Claire, "This Week in Timothée Chalamet, Week of August 2," 2 Aug. 2019

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

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Last Updated

8 Jan 2020

Cite this Entry

“Cormorant.” The Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster Inc., https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/cormorant. Accessed 19 January 2020.

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