as in informants
a person who provides information about another's wrongdoing
a canary who was singing and giving up the names of some of the city's most notorious drug lords
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of canaries
That principle is why coal miners once brought canaries underground, as one emergency medicine doctor explained in a recent court declaration.
—
Lisa Song, ProPublica, 7 May 2026
These living materials could also serve as canaries in the coal mine for water safety, glowing brighter or dimming in the presence of specific toxins.
—Mrigakshi Dixit, Interesting Engineering, 7 May 2026
If canaries in coal mines were harbingers of safe conditions, surely piping plovers at Waukegan Beach mean the city is overcoming its polluted past.
—Charles Selle, Chicago Tribune, 4 May 2026
The proverbial canaries in coal mines will then cause a recession.
—Jim Cramer, CNBC, 1 Mar. 2026
By crunching data from millions of monthly payroll records for workers in jobs with exposure to generative AI, the authors concluded that workers ages 22 to 25—the canaries—have seen about a 13 percent decline in employment since late 2022.
—Josh Tyrangiel, The Atlantic, 10 Feb. 2026
There are no canaries there either.
—Richard Lederer, San Diego Union-Tribune, 31 Jan. 2026
Like canaries in the coal mine ocean form.
—Ashley Miznazi, Miami Herald, 16 Oct. 2025
During the late 19th and early 20th century, coal miners in Europe and North America used canaries as living carbon monoxide alarms.
—Big Think, 13 Oct. 2025
Lisa Song, ProPublica, 7 May 2026
These living materials could also serve as canaries in the coal mine for water safety, glowing brighter or dimming in the presence of specific toxins.
—Mrigakshi Dixit, Interesting Engineering, 7 May 2026
If canaries in coal mines were harbingers of safe conditions, surely piping plovers at Waukegan Beach mean the city is overcoming its polluted past.
—Charles Selle, Chicago Tribune, 4 May 2026
The proverbial canaries in coal mines will then cause a recession.
—Jim Cramer, CNBC, 1 Mar. 2026
By crunching data from millions of monthly payroll records for workers in jobs with exposure to generative AI, the authors concluded that workers ages 22 to 25—the canaries—have seen about a 13 percent decline in employment since late 2022.
—Josh Tyrangiel, The Atlantic, 10 Feb. 2026
There are no canaries there either.
—Richard Lederer, San Diego Union-Tribune, 31 Jan. 2026
Like canaries in the coal mine ocean form.
—Ashley Miznazi, Miami Herald, 16 Oct. 2025
During the late 19th and early 20th century, coal miners in Europe and North America used canaries as living carbon monoxide alarms.
—Big Think, 13 Oct. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for canaries
Noun
-
The Justice Department accuses the group of fraud in connection with its payments to informants.—
Ella Lee,
The Hill,
6 May 2026
-
Greylord was a watershed in its use of eavesdropping devices and a mole to obtain evidence instead of relying on wrongdoers to become government informants.—
Kori Rumore,
Chicago Tribune,
4 May 2026
Noun
-
And so every regime invests in having student informers.—
Anne Applebaum,
The Atlantic,
23 Jan. 2026
-
Security services also rely on informers to tell them who might be using Starlink, and search internet and social media traffic for signs it has been used.—
David Rising,
Los Angeles Times,
14 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
There were fewer than four minutes left, and possibly four more rats to find.—
Ross Mantle,
New York Times,
21 May 2026
-
Yeah, this is a virus that's a natural virus of rodents, of certain species of mice and rats, not typically household rodents, but more those that are out in the wild.—
Dana Taylor,
USA Today,
20 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Canaries.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/canaries. Accessed 23 May. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
