birdie

1 of 2

noun

bird·​ie ˈbər-dē 

plural birdies

1

: a little bird

2

: a golf score of one stroke less than par on a hole compare eagle entry 1

3

: shuttlecock

In Asia, badminton is an obsession … . In one preliminary match in Malaysia, 21,000 people came out to watch the speeding birdie.

—Jennifer Boeth

birdie

2 of 2

verb

birdied; birdieing

transitive verb

: to score a birdie on

Examples of birdie in a Sentence

Noun

I made a birdie on the fifth hole.

I made birdie on the fifth hole.

Verb

She birdied the second hole.

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

Tuning into Scottie Scheffler this season felt like a bird-watching expedition on overdrive—his tour-leading 4.88 birdies per round featured more chirps per hour than an Audobon Trail. —Mike Dojc, Forbes, 10 Dec. 2024

Bernhard Langer gained a brief advantage with a short approach to 2 feet on the par-4 16th to set up a kick-in birdie. —Edgar Thompson, Orlando Sentinel, 24 Dec. 2024

Verb

Incredibly, Rahm, the current leader of LIV Golf UK by two shots at 8-under-par after a wonderful display in calm conditions at the JCB Country Club, has not birdied a single par 5 in his last five rounds. —Gregg Evans, The Athletic, 26 July 2024

Lake Nona freshman Alexandra Snyder birdied the third playoff hole to capture the state title. —Alex Kushel, Sun Sentinel, 21 Nov. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

Noun

1768, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb

1921, in the meaning defined above