Definition of pelican
:any of a genus (Pelecanus) of large web-footed fish-eating birds with a very large bill and distensible gular pouch
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Recent Examples of pelican from the Web
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Whales spouted, dolphins broke the water, pelicans skimmed, terns dove, and sea lions spun all around me.
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Firefighters from Broward Sheriff Fire Rescue on Saturday rescued a baby pelican from beneath the Deerfield Beach pier.
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Brown pelicans and frigatebirds that had been foraging over the water before the eclipse left the bay 13 minutes before totality and didn’t return until 12 minutes after the solar disk was fully revealed.
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Brown pelicans and frigatebirds that had been foraging over the water before the eclipse left the bay 13 minutes before totality and didn’t return until 12 minutes after the solar disk was fully revealed.
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Brown pelicans and frigatebirds that had been foraging over the water before the eclipse left the bay 13 minutes before totality and didn’t return until 12 minutes after the solar disk was fully revealed.
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Alvin Gentry: Pelicans 'have to have some results on the floor' in 2017-2018: Dunc & Holder Ep.
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A 2016 bird count tallied multiple species of herons, cormorants, pelicans, hawks, plover, gnatcatchers, quail, and terns, among others.
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Though designated in 1958 as a bird sanctuary, Egret Island in Lake Butler attracts more partiers than pelicans on summer weekends and holidays.
These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'pelican.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Origin and Etymology of pelican
Middle English, from Old English pellican, from Late Latin pelecanus, from Greek pelekan
PELICAN Defined for English Language Learners
pelican
play
noun
Definition of pelican for English Language Learners
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: a large ocean bird that has a large bag that is part of its lower bill for catching and holding fish
PELICAN Defined for Kids
pelican
play
noun
pel·i·can
\
ˈpe-li-kən
\
Definition of pelican for Students
:a large bird with webbed feet and a very large bill having a pouch on the lower part used to scoop in fish for food
Learn More about pelican
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Spanish Central: Translation of pelican Nglish: Translation of pelican for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of pelican for Arabic speakers Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about pelican
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