grebe

noun \ ˈgrēb \

|Updated on: 10 Jun 2018

Definition of grebe

: any of a family (Podicipedidae) of swimming and diving birds closely related to the loons but having lobed toes — compare dabchick

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Recent Examples of grebe from the Web

Newburyport: At Parker River National Wildlife Refuge were four horned grebes, one snowy owl, 50 purple sandpipers, 44 migrating northern harriers, and 41 migrating American kestrels.

— BostonGlobe.com, "Bird sightings in Massachusetts," 21 Apr. 2018
From coolly majestic lionesses to frantically racing grebes, from a Serengeti sunset to an otherworldly penguin procession, this exhibition is sure to leave viewers awestruck at the wide world around them.

— ryan p. smith, Smithsonian, "This Holiday Season, Make Merry in a Museum," 18 Dec. 2017
About then a small group of eared grebes came floating by in the slow current of Rush Creek.

— ernie cowan, sandiegouniontribune.com, "Visiting colorful Eastern Sierra an annual ritual," 12 Oct. 2017
The 564-acre marsh adjacent to Turnagain Arm is a magnet for birders, who may encounter trumpeter swans, tundra swans, red-necked grebes, northern pintails, arctic terns and other species amid the marsh's sedges.

— mike campbell, Alaska Dispatch News, "Effort to expand Potter Marsh by 2 acres underway," 8 Sep. 2017
Not only can birders spot ducks, geese, grebes and coots; a number of warblers, sparrows, woodpeckers, birds of prey including bald eagles, golden eagles and ospreys, and much more also move through the area.

— michigan wildlife council, Detroit Free Press, "Exploring Michigan’s Wetland Wonders," 21 Aug. 2017
On an easy half-mile walk, visitors can watch and discuss ducks, geese, grebes and songbirds.

— anita gosch, Orange County Register, "Free in the O.C.: May 2017," 20 May 2017
A pair of grebes who didn’t love each other might be less willing to cooperate.

— brandon keim, WIRED, "Animals and Love: Exclusive Excerpt From Exultant Ark," 16 June 2011

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