Definition of puffin
: any of several seabirds (genera Fratercula and Lunda) of the northern hemisphere having a short neck and a deep grooved parti-colored laterally compressed bill
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Recent Examples of puffin from the Web
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Beaks on both puffins studied had the same orange glow.
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And one threat to the puffins is the local fishing village's bright lights, which can confuse young pufflings and draw them away from their nocturnal feeding ground.
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And in the air, focus your binoculars for any one of the 191 species of birds found within the park’s boundaries, including bald and golden eagles, and two types of puffins (who may be found feasting on the water’s surface, too).
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In January, Dunning placed UV light on a puffin carcass.
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But the porgs have nothing on the almost comical puffin.
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As excellent swimmers, puffins spend most of their lives at sea.
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Oceanic birds like puffins depend on the Coral Canyons section for feeding during winter months because of the multitude of fish species that thrive there.
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And by law, Star Wars: The Last Jedi was not permitted to mess with the puffins.
These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'puffin.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Illustration of puffin
Origin and Etymology of puffin
Middle English pophyn
NEW! Time Traveler
First Known Use: 14th century
in the meaning defined above
See Words from the same yearPUFFIN Defined for English Language Learners
Definition of puffin for English Language Learners
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: a black-and-white seabird that lives in the north Atlantic and has a large, colorful bill
PUFFIN Defined for Kids
Definition of puffin for Students
: a black-and-white seabird that has a short thick neck and a large bill marked with several colors
Learn More about puffin
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See words that rhyme with puffin Nglish: Translation of puffin for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of puffin for Arabic speakers Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about puffin
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