Definition of GANNET

Did You Know?

There are three oceanic bird species called gannet. They are found in the North Atlantic, where they are the largest seabirds, and in temperate seas around Africa, Australia, and New Zealand. The adults are mainly white with black-tipped wing feathers and a large, yellowish or buff-colored head, with black around the eyes. They have a tapered beak and pointed tail. They dive with half-closed wings to catch fish and squid. They waddle on land, but are expert fliers, spending most of their lives over water. They nest in dense colonies on cliffs. The largest species is the 40-in (100-cm) northern gannet.

Examples of gannet in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Robertson père got 6,000 acres of undulating pastureland and forest atop craggy sea cliffs, one of which is home to the world’s largest mainland colony of gannets. — Klara Glowczewska, Town & Country, "We Should All Just Move to New Zealand," 17 Jan. 2019 Look out on the cliffs below the trail for breeding pelagic and Brandt’s cormorants, as well as the lonely northern gannet. — Jill K. Robinson, SFChronicle.com, "5 places to spot birds in Half Moon Bay," 12 July 2018 Nigel accepted the invitation, arriving in 2013 as the island's first gannet in 40 years. — The Washington Post, NOLA.com, "Nigel, world's loneliest bird, dies next to concrete decoy it loved," 3 Feb. 2018 Seabirds like boobies, gannets, and the vulnerable crested tern have flocked to the new island for nesting, and their deposits of poop and feathers are beginning the process that will one day cover the island in soil where plants can grow. — Ken Jennings, Condé Nast Traveler, "Japan's Nishinoshima Island Is Younger Than Princess Charlotte," 13 Aug. 2018 If the idea of clinging to a ledge all night on Boreray appears to be daunting, how about this one of Gillies’s father harvesting gannets on Stac Lee, a precipitous sea stack all of six acres in area, near Boreray? — Neel Mukherjee, New York Times, "A Veritable No Man’s Land, Off the Coast of Scotland," 7 May 2018 Nigel, a handsome gannet bird who lived on a desolate island off the coast of New Zealand, died suddenly this week. — Author: Karin Brulliard, Anchorage Daily News, "Nigel, the world’s loneliest bird, dies next to the concrete decoy he loved," 3 Feb. 2018 Don’t miss: From September to May, Cape Kidnappers is home to the world’s largest accessible mainland gannet bird hatching ground; make sure to take a Can-Am tour to see the colony. — Jessica Flint, WSJ, "The Hedge Fund Pioneer Turned Accidental Luxury Hotelier," 19 June 2018 But types of gannets have settled all over the world, including in Scotland. — Yonette Joseph, New York Times, "The Life and Death of Nigel, the World’s Loneliest Seabird," 4 Feb. 2018

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

History and Etymology for gannet

Middle English ganate, gante, going back to Old English ganot, ganet "a seabird, probably Morus bassanus," going back to Germanic *ganuta- "gander" (whence Middle Dutch ghent "gander," Old High German ganazzo, ganzo), from *gan- (base of *gan-s- "goose") + *-uta-, suffix of animal names — more at goose entry 1

Learn More about gannet