: any of numerous seabirds (especially families Procellariidae and Hydrobatidae)
especially
: one of the smaller long-winged birds that fly far from land compare storm petrel
Examples of petrel in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
As a result, boobies, shearwaters, petrels, and other seabirds have recovered, and island creatures from lizards to stick insects have reclaimed their homes.
—
Byelizabeth Pennisi, science.org, 19 Sep. 2024
When the storm dies down, the mass of birds will probably dissipate, Kyle Horton, a researcher at Colorado State University who studies bird migration, told Vox.
Storms like Helene can blow seabirds like petrels, jaegers, and frigatebirds far inland.
—Benji Jones, Vox, 7 Dec. 2018
The pigeon-sized petrels (Pterodroma deserta), which nest on Portugal's Bugio Island, off western North Africa, will spend weeks at sea in a foraging frenzy that takes them on a 7,500-mile (12,000-km) round trip across the Atlantic Ocean.
—New Atlas, 11 July 2024
On Burgess Island, New Zealand, for example, common diving petrels and little shearwaters returned within two decades after rats were removed.
—Ethan Freedman, Smithsonian Magazine, 28 May 2024
See all Example Sentences for petrel 
Byelizabeth Pennisi, science.org, 19 Sep. 2024
When the storm dies down, the mass of birds will probably dissipate, Kyle Horton, a researcher at Colorado State University who studies bird migration, told Vox.
Storms like Helene can blow seabirds like petrels, jaegers, and frigatebirds far inland.
—Benji Jones, Vox, 7 Dec. 2018
The pigeon-sized petrels (Pterodroma deserta), which nest on Portugal's Bugio Island, off western North Africa, will spend weeks at sea in a foraging frenzy that takes them on a 7,500-mile (12,000-km) round trip across the Atlantic Ocean.
—New Atlas, 11 July 2024
On Burgess Island, New Zealand, for example, common diving petrels and little shearwaters returned within two decades after rats were removed.
—Ethan Freedman, Smithsonian Magazine, 28 May 2024
See all Example Sentences for petrel
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'petrel.' 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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“Petrel.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/petrel. Accessed 4 Nov. 2024.
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