kiwi

ki·wi | \ ˈkē-(ˌ)wē

How to pronounce kiwi (audio)

\

Definition of kiwi

1 : any of a small genus (Apteryx) of flightless New Zealand birds with rudimentary wings, stout legs, a long bill, and grayish brown hairlike plumage

2 capitalized : a native or resident of New Zealand —used as a nickname

Did You Know? Example Sentences Learn More about kiwi

Keep scrolling for more

Did You Know?

A kiwi is any of three species of chicken-sized, grayish brown flightless birds found in New Zealand. Their Maori name refers to the male's shrill call. Kiwis have vestigial wings hidden within the plumage; nostrils at the tip (rather than the base) of the long flexible bill; soft, hairlike feathers; and stout, muscular legs. Each of the four toes has a large claw. Kiwis live in forests, where they sleep by day and forage for worms, insects and their larvae, and berries at night. They run swiftly and use their claws in defense when cornered.

Examples of kiwi in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web The menu also includes frozen fruit drinks with banana, melon, pineapple or kiwi. — Sarah Bahari, Dallas News, "Where to find Irving’s best ice cream, snow cones and other frozen treats this summer," 6 July 2020 The fruit of the opuntia (prickly pear cactus) tastes similar to kiwi or melon and is often made into an electric-pink syrup used in all sorts of drinks. — Casey Barber, Better Homes & Gardens, "Road Trip Eats: Recipes Inspired By Route 66," 26 June 2020 Natural Light is rolling out a variety pack of its Natty Light Seltzer brand with a new strawberry-kiwi flavor. — Jordan Valinsky, CNN, "Budget beer and spiked seltzer dominated during the pandemic," 9 June 2020 Popping boba — mango, strawberry and kiwi-flavored. — Kimi Robinson, azcentral, "2 Arizona businesses teamed up to create an at-home boba tea kit. Here's how to order one," 3 June 2020 The pink dink evokes romance thanks not only to its color but also with its flavors of strawberries, melon, and kiwi, with rose petal accents. — Stacey Leasca, Travel + Leisure, "The Best Wines to Pair With Your Favorite Types of TV Shows, According to an Expert," 1 Apr. 2020 Because of my allergies, many fruits are ruled out, too: mango, papaya, passionfruit, kiwi, sometimes pineapple. — Nneka M. Okona, Condé Nast Traveler, "My Food Allergies Make Travel Complicated—But That's Not Stopping Me," 12 Mar. 2020 Colours stepped outside the usual earthy fall palette to embrace pale kiwi green, purple, and fuchsia — though the colour black was heavily embraced by nearly every designer, too. — Gabrielle Korn, refinery29.com, "Paris Fashion Week Was Surreal, & So Were The Trends," 6 Mar. 2020 The kitchen plays with that fruit base, skipping effortlessly from kiwi to pluots to oranges. — Tejal Rao, New York Times, "At Nari, a Thai Chef Revitalizes Fine Dining," 11 Feb. 2020

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

Keep scrolling for more

Learn More about kiwi

Dictionary Entries near kiwi

Statistics for kiwi

Last Updated

9 Jul 2020

Cite this Entry

“Kiwi.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/kiwi. Accessed 14 Aug. 2020.

Keep scrolling for more

Keep scrolling for more

WORD OF THE DAY

quiescent

Listen to the pronunciation of quiescent

See Definitions and Examples »

Get Word of the Day daily email!

Test Your Vocabulary

Original Meanings Quiz

Which of the following is the earliest known sense of the word awe?

Can you spell these 10 commonly misspelled words?

Dictionary Devil

Test Your Knowledge - and learn some interesting things along the way.