canary

noun

ca·​nary kə-ˈner-ē How to pronounce canary (audio)
plural canaries
1
: a Canary Islands usually sweet wine similar to Madeira
2
: a lively 16th century court dance
3
: a small finch (Serinus canaria synonym S. canarius) of the Canary Islands that is usually greenish to yellow and is kept as a cage bird and singer
4

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
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
In a lot of ways, Yastrzemski is a canary in the coal mine. Grant Brisbee, The Athletic, 22 Nov. 2024 The songbirds, like canaries and starlings and so forth. Janna Levin, Quanta Magazine, 21 Nov. 2024 Now that the Supreme Court's unsigned order has allowed the purging to proceed, those advocates have implied that Virginia may very well be a canary in a coal mine, foreshadowing broader efforts aimed at undermining voting rights. Beatrice Peterson, ABC News, 31 Oct. 2024 The company's transparency report has a live warrant canary. PCMAG, 7 Oct. 2024 See all Example Sentences for canary 

Word History

Etymology

Middle French canarie, from Old Spanish canario, from Islas Canarias Canary Islands

First Known Use

1592, in the meaning defined at sense 2

Time Traveler
The first known use of canary was in 1592

Dictionary Entries Near canary

Cite this Entry

“Canary.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/canary. Accessed 18 Dec. 2024.

Kids Definition

canary

noun
ca·​nary kə-ˈne(ə)r-ē How to pronounce canary (audio)
plural canaries
: a small usually yellow or greenish finch native to the Canary Islands that is often kept in a cage

More from Merriam-Webster on canary

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