Illustration of magpie
- magpie 1
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
1
: collected indiscriminately : miscellaneous
… magpie compilations of unrelated tidbits …—
Helen R. Cross
Helen R. Cross2
: given to indiscriminate collecting : acquisitive
… what possible magpie instinct had impelled me to retain them …—S. J. Perelman
S. J. PerelmanExamples of magpie in a Sentence
Noun
media magpies will no doubt seize upon the president's latest gaffe and blow it all out of proportion
Adjective
a pack rat whose cramped apartment is filled with a magpie collection of books, old newspapers, and tchotchkes
Recent Examples on the Web
Dave Quinn, PEOPLE, 27 Nov. 2025
Stephen Graham used the word 'magpie' the other day, which is so great.
—Emlyn Travis, Entertainment Weekly, 23 Oct. 2025
Cressida Leyshon, New Yorker, 23 Nov. 2025
A little magpie accessorizing feels right here, and why fret over cold toes?
—Talia Abbas, Vogue, 17 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for magpie
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Noun
The character is often depicted humorously alongside a magpie in Hojakdo (호작도), whimsical tiger paintings that have delighted audiences for centuries.
—Dave Quinn, PEOPLE, 27 Nov. 2025
Stephen Graham used the word 'magpie' the other day, which is so great.
—Emlyn Travis, Entertainment Weekly, 23 Oct. 2025
Adjective
The magpie Bayazid meets boys from a higher station who attend the nearby private school and live in a world almost as alien as a snowscape in a snow globe.
—Cressida Leyshon, New Yorker, 23 Nov. 2025
A little magpie accessorizing feels right here, and why fret over cold toes?
—Talia Abbas, Vogue, 17 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for magpie
Cite this Entry
“Magpie.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/magpie. Accessed 3 Dec. 2025.
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