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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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of canary
After Spirit Airlines ceased operations, in the middle of the night on May 2nd, a series of canary-yellow airplanes sat on the tarmac at Newark Airport, arranged neatly like children’s toys at day’s end.
—
Doreen St. Félix,
New Yorker,
9 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
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
Glossy rosettes emerge green and blush rosy when temperatures dips, then burst into canary-yellow flowers emerge in late summer-early fall.
—
Erica Browne Grivas,
Midwest Living,
4 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for canary
Doreen St. Félix,
New Yorker,
9 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
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
Glossy rosettes emerge green and blush rosy when temperatures dips, then burst into canary-yellow flowers emerge in late summer-early fall.
—
Erica Browne Grivas,
Midwest Living,
4 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for canary
Recent Examples of Synonyms for canary
Noun
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The devices were hidden in a pack of cigarettes, the informant’s watch, and a cellphone.
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However, some members of the Hole in the Wall Gang got busted in 1981 for stealing from a home furnishings store, and Cullotta — one of those busted — became an informant.
Noun
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One of State Security’s main goals, as well as a central source of its strength, is turning civilians into informers.
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And so every regime invests in having student informers.
Noun
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There are obvious similarities to Brad Marchand here, with rat king energy and two-way skill, but his shutdown play could put him on the Seth Jarvis track, too.
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Retrofitted rat traps that fired Hollywood blanks meant to deafen and deter.
Cite this Entry
“Canary.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/canary. Accessed 29 Jun. 2026.
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