meadowlark

noun

mead·​ow·​lark ˈme-dō-ˌlärk 

-də-

: any of several American songbirds (genera Sturnella and Leistes of the family Icteridae) that are streaked brown above and in northernmost forms have a yellow breast marked with a black crescent

Illustration of meadowlark

Examples of meadowlark in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Gray foxes are said to reside here along with reptiles like the smooth green snake and eastern milk snake, as well as numerous birds, including the Virginian rail, Henslow’s sparrow, bobolink and eastern meadowlark. —Susan Degrane, Chicago Tribune, 12 Mar. 2025

Black terns and eastern meadowlarks have also dwindled. —John Myers, Twin Cities, 26 May 2024

Western meadowlarks, prevalent in the central and western U.S.; three-fourths have disappeared. —David Schechter, CBS News, 18 Apr. 2024

The overall goal is to sustain and enhance sandplain grassland habitat, a habitat that many species rely on to survive and reproduce, including grassland nesting birds like the upland sandpiper, grasshopper sparrow, eastern meadowlark, and savannah sparrow. —Staff Report, Hartford Courant, 22 Mar. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1611, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for meadowlark

• disembark
• matriarch
• patriarch
• watermark
• arc
• ark
• bark
• barque
• dark
• hark
• lark
• marc

Kids Definition

meadowlark

noun

mead·​ow·​lark -ˌlärk 

: any of several North American songbirds that are largely brown and buff above with a yellow breast having a black V-shaped mark across it