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
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
-
For months, the couple worked with the FBI as informants, with Katas even staging a raid by arranging a meeting with Bateman under the guise of filming.—
Emily Blackwood,
PEOPLE,
11 Apr. 2026
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The suspect police were looking for, based on a tip from a confidential informant, was living in a different apartment, and was wearing a police tracking device while awaiting trial for a recent arrest.—
Adam Harrington,
CBS News,
6 Apr. 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
-
The New York City Health website recommends avoiding places where rats have urinated (which might be the entire city) and always wearing shoes when taking the trash out.—
The Washington Post,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
14 Apr. 2026
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ContraPest uses the chemicals 4-Vinylcyclohexene Diepoxide, and Triptolide to suppress fertility in female and male rats, DPW officials said.—
JT Moodee Lockman,
CBS News,
13 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Canary.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/canary. Accessed 19 Apr. 2026.
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