: any of a class (Aves) of warm-blooded vertebrates distinguished by having the body more or less completely covered with feathers and the forelimbs modified as wings
Noun
A large bird flew overhead.
The birds were singing outside our window.
He's a tough old bird.
We met some smashing birds at the pub last night.
Recent Examples on the Web
Noun
Everyone seemed concerned but there was nothing to be done because the bird was out of reach.—New York Times, 12 Feb. 2023 While Flaco had been spotted in various parts of the city, police admitted the bird was difficult to capture and was certainly a flight risk.—Tina Burnside, CNN, 9 Feb. 2023
Verb
Try joining a local birding group for an outing, or go birding with at least one new person.—James Gorman, New York Times, 26 May 2024 In the meantime, Kaestner surely isn’t birding at the same frenetic pace as his final sprint, but his efforts continue.—Christine Condon, Baltimore Sun, 26 Feb. 2024 See all Example Sentences for bird
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'bird.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Word History
Etymology
Noun
Middle English brid, bird, from Old English bridd
First Known Use
Noun
before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1
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