woodcock

noun

wood·​cock ˈwu̇d-ˌkäk How to pronounce woodcock (audio)
plural woodcocks
1
or plural woodcock
a
: a shorebird (Scolopax rusticola) of Europe and Asia that frequents moist woodlands, has large eyes and rounded wings, is of a variously mottled reddish-brown, black, and buff color with a barred chest, and is often hunted as game

Note: The woodcock has a long bill with a sensitive tip used especially for probing the ground for earthworms and insects.

b
: a smaller related bird (Scolopax minor synonym Philohela minor) chiefly of eastern North America with a similar color pattern but having a solid orange buff chest
2
[from the ease with which the woodcock is snared] archaic : simpleton

Examples of woodcock in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
These examples are automatically compiled from online sources to illustrate current usage. Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Other events throughout the day include kid-friendly Easter stories, live birds of prey, a bluebird box workshop and an American woodcock sky dance. Karl Schneider, The Indianapolis Star, 21 Mar. 2024 In the spring, areas around the younger trees drew ground nesters like bobolinks — songbirds that migrate to and from South America — killdeer and woodcocks, who availed themselves of the open spaces to perform their courtship flights and rear their young. Cara Buckley, New York Times, 13 Dec. 2023 Overview The woodcock is a shorebird without a shore. Matthew Every, Field & Stream, 18 Oct. 2023 By morning, carcasses ranging from Tennessee warblers to hermit thrush to American woodcocks littered the ground outside the convention center. Margaret Osborne, Smithsonian Magazine, 10 Oct. 2023 See all Example Sentences for woodcock 

Word History

First Known Use

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Time Traveler
The first known use of woodcock was before the 12th century

Dictionary Entries Near woodcock

Cite this Entry

“Woodcock.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/woodcock. Accessed 16 Nov. 2024.

Kids Definition

woodcock

noun
wood·​cock -ˌkäk How to pronounce woodcock (audio)
plural woodcocks or woodcock
: a brownish woodland game bird that has a long bill and is related to the snipes
also : a related and similar bird of Eurasia

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