-
Trending Now:
More Trending:
- scaramouch non sequitur admiral's mast calumny kakistocracy
- ALL
Definition of hummingbird
: 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
Explore Merriam-Webster
Recent Examples of hummingbird from the Web
-
Bees love them, and butterflies and hummingbirds are drawn to them.
-
Butterflies and hummingbirds love coneflower blossoms, and then winter birds such as our trim Oregon juncos feast on their seeds in winter.
-
Plants that produce long, tubular flowers typically are pollinated by hummingbirds, butterflies and moths that access nectar with their long tongues.
-
Many flowers, such as salvias, that are fed on by butterflies and hummingbirds also attract bees and other insects.
-
A surprisingly simple explanation for the shape of bird eggs A sandpiper’s egg is shaped like a teardrop, an owl’s like a golf ball, and a hummingbird’s like a jelly bean.
-
A sandpiper’s egg is shaped like a teardrop, an owl’s like a golf ball, and a hummingbird’s like a jelly bean.
-
Hummingbirds are great fliers, but their closest relatives—the swifts—are even better, and while hummingbird eggs are symmetrical, swift eggs are pointed, more like pine nuts than Tic Tacs.
-
Hummingbirds lay eggs that look like Tic Tacs, owls lay nigh-perfect spheres, and sandpipers lay almost conical eggs that end in a rounded point.
These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'hummingbird'. Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Illustration of hummingbird
First Known Use of hummingbird
1637
HUMMINGBIRD Defined for English Language Learners
hummingbird
playDefinition of hummingbird for English Language Learners
-
: a very small, brightly colored American bird that has wings which beat very fast
HUMMINGBIRD Defined for Kids
hummingbird
playDefinition of hummingbird for Students
: a tiny brightly colored American bird whose wings make a humming sound in flight
Learn More about hummingbird
-
See words that rhyme with hummingbird Spanish Central: Translation of hummingbird Nglish: Translation of hummingbird for Spanish speakers Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about hummingbird
Seen and Heard
What made you want to look up hummingbird? Please tell us where you read or heard it (including the quote, if possible).
Writing? Check your grammar now!