ostrich

noun

os·​trich ˈä-strich 

ˈȯ-,

 also  -strij

1

a

: a swift-footed 2-toed flightless ratite bird (Struthio camelus) of Africa that is the largest of existing birds and often weighs 300 pounds (140 kilograms)

b

: rhea

c

: leather made from ostrich skin

2

[from the belief that the ostrich when pursued hides its head in the sand and believes itself to be unseen] : one who attempts to avoid danger or difficulty by refusing to face it

ostrichlike

ˈä-strich-ˌlīk 

ˈȯ-

 also  -strij-

adjective

Examples of ostrich in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

President Calvin Coolidge and his wife, Grace, arrived — she was dressed to the nines in a fur coat with a fox collar and wearing a black hat with an uncurled ostrich feather. —Mike Klingaman, Baltimore Sun, 13 Dec. 2024

Bows and ostrich feather cuffs on your heavenly soft pajamas makes precious downtime of lazy mornings and late-night lounging delightfully decadent. —Adam Mansuroglu, WWD, 8 Dec. 2024

One of our notable achievements was creating one of the world’s largest captive breeding colonies of ostriches in the United States, further highlighting our commitment to the protection and propagation of avian species across different environments. —Jared Ranahan, Forbes, 1 Nov. 2024

A couple of ostriches were killing time a few feet away. —André Wheeler, The New Yorker, 19 Aug. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Middle English, from Anglo-French ostriz, ostrige, from Vulgar Latin *avis struthio, from Latin avis bird + Late Latin struthio ostrich — more at struthious

First Known Use

13th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Phrases Containing ostrich

• ostrich fern

Kids Definition

ostrich

noun

os·​trich ˈäs-trich 

ˈȯs-

1

: a very large bird of Africa that often weighs as much as 300 pounds (140 kilograms), runs very quickly but cannot fly, and has large wing and tail feathers used especially formerly in dusters and fans and to adorn hats and clothing

2

: one who tries to avoid danger by refusing to face it