woodpecker

noun

wood·​peck·​er ˈwu̇d-ˌpe-kər 

: any of numerous birds (family Picidae) with zygodactyl feet, stiff spiny tail feathers used in climbing or resting on tree trunks, a usually extensible tongue, a very hard bill used to drill the bark or wood of trees for insect food or to excavate nesting cavities, and generally showy parti-colored plumage

Illustration of woodpecker

Examples of woodpecker in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

That said, woodpeckers are attracted to other types of wood-boring insects, and woodpecker activity doesn’t always indicate that borers are present. — Lauren Landers, Better Homes & Gardens, 7 Aug. 2026

Brandon Bell | Getty Images Alabama is known as the Yellowhammer State, named after the state bird, a woodpecker that is also called the Northern Flicker. — Scott Cohn, CNBC, 10 July 2026

Keep your eyes peeled for bobcats, foxes, gopher tortoises, pileated woodpeckers, and bald eagles. — Brandee Gruener, Southern Living, 2 July 2026

The perpetual buzz of mining bees mingled with the shuffle of rabbits through the bushes, woodpeckers’ rapid-fire drilling, and the hard-staccato tchack, tchack, tchack of ravenlike birds known as jackdaws, creating a subtle symphony. — Literary Hub, 11 June 2026

Word History

First Known Use

circa 1530, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing woodpecker

• acorn woodpecker
• downy woodpecker
• hairy woodpecker
• ivory-billed woodpecker
• pileated woodpecker
• red-bellied woodpecker
• red-cockaded woodpecker

Rhymes for woodpecker

• exchequer
• checker
• chequer
• decker
• wrecker

Kids Definition

woodpecker

noun

wood·​peck·​er -ˌpek-ər 

: any of numerous brightly marked birds with strong claws and stiff tail feathers used in climbing or resting on tree trunks, a long flexible tongue, and a very hard bill used to drill into trees to get insects for food and to dig out holes for nesting