plural canaries
1
: a Canary Islands usually sweet wine similar to Madeira
2
: a lively 16th century court dance
3
: a small finch (Serinus canarius synonym S. canaria) of the Canary Islands that is usually greenish to yellow and is kept as a cage bird and singer
4
slang
: informer sense 2
Synonyms
Examples of canary in a Sentence
a canary who was singing and giving up the names of some of the city's most notorious drug lords
Recent Examples on the Web
Sorry Harry, the other half of the Wet Bandits is singing like a canary.
—
Erin Jensen, USA TODAY, 21 May 2024
These movies have always had this canary in the coal mine element.
—Todd Gilchrist, Variety, 10 May 2024
See all Example Sentences for canary 
Erin Jensen, USA TODAY, 21 May 2024
These movies have always had this canary in the coal mine element.
—Todd Gilchrist, Variety, 10 May 2024
See all Example Sentences for canary
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'canary.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
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Cite this Entry
“Canary.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/canary. Accessed 29 May. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
canary
noun
ca·nary
kə-ˈne(ə)r-ē 
plural canaries
: a small usually yellow or greenish finch native to the Canary Islands that is often kept in a cage
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