phoebe

noun (1)

phoe·be | \ˈfē-bē

\

Definition of phoebe

(Entry 1 of 2)

: any of a genus (Sayornis) of the tyrant flycatcher family especially : a flycatcher (S. phoebe) of the eastern U.S. that has a slight crest and is plain grayish brown above and yellowish white below

Phoebe

noun (2)

Phoe·be | \ˈfē-bē

\

Definition of Phoebe (Entry 2 of 2)

Examples of phoebe in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web: Noun

In 2011, a U.S. attorney in North Dakota charged Hamm with a criminal misdemeanor after a Say’s phoebe got stuck and died in a pond of oil waste. — Dino Grandoni, Washington Post, "The Energy 202: Ryan Zinke's move is not for the birds, say 17 former Interior officials," 12 Jan. 2018 In 1804, a young naturalist named John James Audubon tied silver threads to the legs of the eastern phoebes, tiny white-and-brown songbirds, that lived in a nest near his home near Philadelphia. — Marina Koren, The Atlantic, "The Golden Age of Animal Tracking," 20 Sep. 2017 DEAR JOAN: Last summer a neighbor removed some evergreens and several displaced black phoebes found their way to our yard. — Joan Morris, The Mercury News, "Why won’t the bird use the nice bird house?," 14 Mar. 2017 A phoebe is a kind of bird, and my little girl also happened to arrive 8 weeks before her due date, making her a true early bird. — Liz Krieger, Town & Country, "Why "Birdie" is the New "Muffy"," 10 July 2017 The day was as soft as sunshine when an eastern phoebe returned to my yard during the first week of April. — Bulletin Board, Twin Cities, "Sunday Bulletin Board: If you want to see the world, he has just the advice you need!," 30 Apr. 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'phoebe.' 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 phoebe

Dictionary Entries near phoebe

Statistics for phoebe

Look-up Popularity

Time Traveler for phoebe

The first known use of phoebe was in 1567

See more words from the same year

Keep scrolling for more

More Definitions for phoebe

phoebe

noun

phoe·be | \ˈfē-bē

\

Kids Definition of phoebe

: a small grayish brown bird that eats flying insects

WORD OF THE DAY

rebuff

to reject or criticize sharply

Test Your Vocabulary

Words from Greek and Roman Mythology Quiz

Boreal comes from the name of the ancient Greek god of which wind?

How Strong Is Your Vocabulary?

Test your vocabulary with our 10-question quiz!

TAKE THE QUIZ

SCRABBLE® Sprint

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

TAKE THE QUIZ

Words at Play

Ask the Editors

Word Games