magpie

play

noun mag·pie \ ˈmag-ˌpī \

Definition of magpie

1 :any of various birds (especially Pica pica) related to the jays but having a long graduated tail and black-and-white or brightly colored plumage

2 :a person who chatters noisily

3 :one who collects indiscriminately

See magpie defined for English-language learners

See magpie defined for kids

Examples of magpie in a Sentence

media magpies will no doubt seize upon the president's latest gaffe and blow it all out of proportion

Recent Examples of magpie from the Web

The news outlet claims that sources have informed them of the governing body's looking into reports of an alleged elbow on Manuel Lanzini during the Magpies 3-0 win over West Ham at St James' Park on Saturday.

— SI.com, "Newcastle's Mitrovic Could Get Hit With 3-Game Ban for Alleged Elbow Following FA Review," 29 Aug. 2017
Once a year Niulang and Zhinü — who became the stars Altair and Vega — are permitted to meet across a bridge of magpies.

— joseph hincks, Time, "Google Doodle Celebrates China's Qixi Festival," 28 Aug. 2017
According to MacGraw, the fashion industry flocked to women with a certain undone, magpie kind of flair during that time, and designers especially took note.

— brooke bobb, Vogue, "Ali MacGraw on What It Was Like to Work in Fashion During the Summer of Love," 21 June 2017
Ravens and other members of the corvid family (crows, jays, and magpies) are known to be intelligent.

— National Geographic, "Ravens Hold Grudges Against Cheaters," 6 June 2017
There's a bobcat for $500, several magpie skulls for $10 each and small bags of assorted animal bones for $5.

— christopher borrelli, chicagotribune.com, "Another Quimby's grows in Brooklyn," 28 May 2017
Bird species such as crows, jays and magpies are particularly susceptible to the virus.

— cathy locke, sacbee.com, "Dead crow found in Sacramento County tests positive for West Nile virus," 24 May 2017
Ms. Hall’s aesthetic of extreme orderliness is largely a reaction to the magpie mind-set of her parents, whose Victorian house in San Francisco is piled high and haphazardly with miscellany dating back five decades.

— joanne kaufman, New York Times, "Lena Hall’s 500-Square-Foot Apartment in Midtown," 24 Mar. 2017

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