cormorant

noun

cor·​mo·​rant ˈkȯr-mə-rənt 

ˈkȯrm-, 

ˈkȯr-mə-ˌrant

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

Illustration of cormorant

Synonyms of cormorant

• pig
• hog

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 pelicans on the water, the diving cormorants and circling ospreys, the stalking great blue herons in the shallows — all are reminders of what’s at stake for Pitt and for the West. —Brandon Loomis, AZCentral.com, 15 Dec. 2025

Early indications, as the paddlers approached, were that the breakwaters had done an exceptional job, at least, of recruiting gulls and cormorants. —Ben McGrath, New Yorker, 3 Nov. 2025

The image was captured in January in La Jolla, California, when cormorants were building their nests. —Cecilia Rodriguez, Forbes.com, 18 Sep. 2025

The largest species of cormorant on the US Pacific Coast, these marine birds can dive deep below the ocean surface to catch fish and shellfish. —New Atlas, 17 Sep. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Middle English cormeraunt, from Middle French cormorant, from Old French cormareng, from corp raven + marenc of the sea, from Latin marinus — more at corbel, marine

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing cormorant

• double-crested cormorant

Kids Definition

cormorant

noun

cor·​mo·​rant ˈkȯrm-(ə-)rənt 

ˈkȯr-mə-ˌrant

: any of various dark-colored web-footed seabirds with a long neck, a hooked bill, and a patch of bare often brightly colored skin under the mouth