pheasant

noun

pheas·​ant ˈfe-zᵊnt 

plural pheasant or pheasants

1

: any of numerous large often long-tailed and brightly colored Old World gallinaceous birds (Phasianus and related genera of the family Phasianidae) including many raised as ornamental or game birds compare ring-necked pheasant

2

: any of various birds resembling a pheasant

Examples of pheasant in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Keep your eyes peeled for wildlife, especially at dusk or dawn, like ducks, pheasants, deer, or maybe even a wayward fox out on an adventure. —Wendy Altschuler, Forbes, 23 Jan. 2025

Last month, 70 animals were transferred from the Moscow Zoo to the Central Zoo in Pyongyang, including an African lion, two bears, two yaks, 25 pheasants, 40 mandarin ducks and five cockatoos. —Joseph Epstein, Newsweek, 10 Dec. 2024

Two brown bears, a lion, a couple of yaks, five cockatoos, 25 pheasants and 40 mandarin ducks. —Kim Hjelmgaard, USA TODAY, 21 Nov. 2024

Taiwan’s untamed mountains, like Jade Mountain—at nearly 13,000 feet the region’s highest peak, located in Yushan National Park—invite trekkers to rise above the clouds, where Formosan black bears roar and rare birds like the endemic mikado pheasant pass by. —Alexandra Gillespie, Outside Online, 16 Dec. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Middle English fesaunt, from Anglo-French fesant, faisan, from Latin phasianus, from Greek (ornis) phasianos, from phasianos of the Phasis River, from Phasis, river in Colchis

First Known Use

13th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing pheasant

• ring-necked pheasant

Kids Definition

pheasant

noun

pheas·​ant ˈfez-ᵊnt 

plural pheasant or pheasants

: any of numerous large long-tailed brightly colored birds that are related to the domestic chicken and many of which are raised as ornamental or game birds