as in informant
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
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Recent Examples of canary
While Chicago is the canary in the coal mine, the legislative resistance to choice affects the entire state.
—
The Editorial Board, Chicago Tribune, 22 Jan. 2026
Against a backdrop of teak wood and bamboo, driftwood bedposts make the mosquito nets look like chic bed drapes, while canary-yellow day beds and blinds add a ray of sunshine to even the dreariest days.
—Chris Schalkx, Condé Nast Traveler, 12 Jan. 2026
There is also growing concern within the House Republican caucus that Greene’s announcement is a canary in the coal mine and that multiple resignations will follow.
—Charlie Hunt, The Conversation, 26 Dec. 2025
So is the Broomfield condo market the canary in the coal mine for the larger metro Denver housing market, a signal that the oxygen is gone and that home prices could fall across the region next year?
—Aldo Svaldi, Denver Post, 23 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for canary
The Editorial Board, Chicago Tribune, 22 Jan. 2026
Against a backdrop of teak wood and bamboo, driftwood bedposts make the mosquito nets look like chic bed drapes, while canary-yellow day beds and blinds add a ray of sunshine to even the dreariest days.
—Chris Schalkx, Condé Nast Traveler, 12 Jan. 2026
There is also growing concern within the House Republican caucus that Greene’s announcement is a canary in the coal mine and that multiple resignations will follow.
—Charlie Hunt, The Conversation, 26 Dec. 2025
So is the Broomfield condo market the canary in the coal mine for the larger metro Denver housing market, a signal that the oxygen is gone and that home prices could fall across the region next year?
—Aldo Svaldi, Denver Post, 23 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for canary
Recent Examples of Synonyms for canary
Noun
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The informant also advised that his people wanted money up front and an address where the cash could be picked up.—
Jim Woods,
Chicago Tribune,
3 Apr. 2026
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Shiwa Hassanpour, an activist with the human rights monitor Hengaw Organization, based in Iraq’s Kurdish region, said people have been shot for approaching the border, because Iranian forces suspect them of being spies or informants.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
30 Mar. 2026
Noun
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And so every regime invests in having student informers.—
Anne Applebaum,
The Atlantic,
23 Jan. 2026
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The whole family is deeply involved in the revolutionary movement: the oldest son disappears into Siberia, never to be seen or heard of again, while the youngest, eighteen, is jailed together with his father, and executed after his cell is exposed by an informer.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
22 Jan. 2026
Noun
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Plus, his teammates love to fire those rubber rats fans throw onto the ice at him after wins, so there was some incentive there, too.—
Jordan McPherson,
Miami Herald,
8 Apr. 2026
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That ****** is a rat ****** cap.—
Larry Seward,
CBS News,
7 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Canary.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/canary. Accessed 9 Apr. 2026.
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