hummingbird

noun

hum·​ming·​bird ˈhə-miŋ-ˌbərd 

: any of a family (Trochilidae) of tiny brightly colored nonpasserine American birds related to the swifts that have a very slender bill and an extensible tongue for sipping nectar and that usually hover rather than perch when feeding

Illustration of hummingbird

Examples of hummingbird in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Exclusively Costa Rican hummingbird species zip through the gardens. — Alexandra Marvar, Vogue, 20 Oct. 2026

Cambria Wells, the center’s education and outreach manager, recalls a hummingbird that was similarly wrapped in webbing and didn’t make it. — Katie Koschalk, Scientific American, 16 Oct. 2026

Edgar-Jones was later photographed in a graphic t-shirt featuring an airbrushed hummingbird drinking nectar from an hibiscus flower. — Erin Wisti, Footwear News, 12 Oct. 2026

One of the acts that made a big impression on the youngsters was the Allen Tolbert Unit, whose namesake would captivate them by buzzing up and down his guitar fretboard like a hummingbird in flight. — Garret K. Woodward, Rolling Stone, 4 Oct. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1637, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing hummingbird

• ruby-throated hummingbird

Rhymes for hummingbird

• afterword
• firebird
• ladybird
• mockingbird
• overheard
• thunderbird
• undergird
• undeterred
• absurd
• averred
• bluebird
• byword

Kids Definition

hummingbird

noun

hum·​ming·​bird ˈhəm-iŋ-ˌbərd 

: any of numerous tiny brightly colored American birds related to the swifts and having narrow swiftly beating wings, a slender bill, and a long tongue for sipping nectar