goldfinch

noun

gold·​finch ˈgōl(d)-ˌfinch 

: any of several small, active, often brightly-colored finches (genera Spinus and Carduelis of the family Fringillidae) with yellow in their plumage: such as

a

: a small finch (Spinus tristis) native to North America that in the breeding plumage of the male is yellow with a white rump and black markings on the wings, tail, and crown

called also American goldfinch

b

: one (Carduelis carduelis) native to Europe, western and central Asia, and northern Africa that has the front of the head and throat bright red, the nape with part of the wings and tail black, and the wings marked in bright yellow

Examples of goldfinch in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

If the seedheads stay intact, goldfinches, chickadees and other birds will feed on seeds into fall and winter. —Special To The Denver Post, Denver Post, 31 Aug. 2025

Ordering happens at a walk-up window, and the best place to sit is at the sidewalk tables, perhaps while sipping goldfinch-yellow agua fresca, a not-too-sweet blend of pineapple and cucumber. —Helen Rosner, New Yorker, 24 Aug. 2025

Watch for goldfinches and other songbirds feeding on the tiny seed heads in autumn. —Kim Toscano, Southern Living, 3 July 2025

Ultramarine blues, goldfinch yellows, clouded whites; the colors don’t shout but shimmer like halos. —Jerry Saltz, Vulture, 2 July 2025

Word History

First Known Use

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing goldfinch

• American goldfinch

Rhymes for goldfinch

• bullfinch
• cinch
• finch
• flinch
• inch
• lynch
• pinch
• synch
• winch

Kids Definition

goldfinch

noun

gold·​finch -ˌfinch 

1

: a small largely red, black, and yellow European finch often kept in a cage

2

: any of several small American finches of which the males in their summer coat of feathers are usually yellow with black wings, tail, and top of the head