: 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
Examples of phoebe in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Maura Fox, San Diego Union-Tribune, 17 Apr. 2025
Short-distance migrants: These can include the eastern phoebe, the yellow-bellied sapsucker and the song sparrow.
—Elizabeth Weise, USA TODAY, 11 Mar. 2025
Birds that build cup nests, like American robins and Eastern phoebes, often use thin, fibrous roots for building and lining their nests.
—Anne Readel, Better Homes & Gardens, 3 Mar. 2025
As volunteers worked last year, black phoebes and vermilion flycatchers darted around collecting flying insects above the streambed.
—Brandon Loomis, The Arizona Republic, 20 May 2024
Nor are predators limited to the large: bluebirds, phoebes and other insect-catching flycatchers do something quite similar on a smaller scale, pouncing on insects whose existence is to us invisible.
—Jack Gedney, The Mercury News, 11 Mar. 2024
An Eastern phoebe perched on a cattail stem and an incoming swamp sparrow called from the thick grass.
—Taylor Piephoff, Charlotte Observer, 31 Jan. 2024
Expect to see resident birds such as the black phoebe, Cassin’s kingbird, California and spotted towhee, song sparrow and red-tailed, red-shoulder and Cooper’s hawks.
—Kim Janssen, Los Angeles Times, 12 Oct. 2023
Eastern phoebes are in the flycatcher family and consume not just flies but also wasps, grasshoppers and even ticks — great news to those of us who can’t walk in the woods without getting bitten.
—The New York Times Elaine Chen Emily Anthes, New York Times, 18 May 2023
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Noun
But for Eloise Battle, the king snakes and black phoebes stood out.
—Maura Fox, San Diego Union-Tribune, 17 Apr. 2025
Short-distance migrants: These can include the eastern phoebe, the yellow-bellied sapsucker and the song sparrow.
—Elizabeth Weise, USA TODAY, 11 Mar. 2025
Birds that build cup nests, like American robins and Eastern phoebes, often use thin, fibrous roots for building and lining their nests.
—Anne Readel, Better Homes & Gardens, 3 Mar. 2025
As volunteers worked last year, black phoebes and vermilion flycatchers darted around collecting flying insects above the streambed.
—Brandon Loomis, The Arizona Republic, 20 May 2024
Nor are predators limited to the large: bluebirds, phoebes and other insect-catching flycatchers do something quite similar on a smaller scale, pouncing on insects whose existence is to us invisible.
—Jack Gedney, The Mercury News, 11 Mar. 2024
An Eastern phoebe perched on a cattail stem and an incoming swamp sparrow called from the thick grass.
—Taylor Piephoff, Charlotte Observer, 31 Jan. 2024
Expect to see resident birds such as the black phoebe, Cassin’s kingbird, California and spotted towhee, song sparrow and red-tailed, red-shoulder and Cooper’s hawks.
—Kim Janssen, Los Angeles Times, 12 Oct. 2023
Eastern phoebes are in the flycatcher family and consume not just flies but also wasps, grasshoppers and even ticks — great news to those of us who can’t walk in the woods without getting bitten.
—The New York Times Elaine Chen Emily Anthes, New York Times, 18 May 2023
Cite this Entry
“Phoebe.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/phoebe. Accessed 23 Jul. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
phoebe
noun
phoe·be
ˈfē-bē 
: any of several American flycatchers
especially
: one of the eastern U.S. that has a slight crest and is plain grayish brown above and yellowish white below
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