as in informant
a person who provides information about another's wrongdoing
a canary who was singing and giving up the names of some of the city's most notorious drug lords
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of canary
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
Just like canaries, neurodivergent and disabled employees feel productivity constraints in the workplace more intensely than other employees.
—Ludmila Praslova, Forbes, 24 Oct. 2024
See all Example Sentences for canary 
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
Just like canaries, neurodivergent and disabled employees feel productivity constraints in the workplace more intensely than other employees.
—Ludmila Praslova, Forbes, 24 Oct. 2024
See all Example Sentences for canary
Recent Examples of Synonyms for canary
Noun
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Revelations that Tarrio had acted as an informant for law enforcement in 2012 and 2014 caused further divides in the group.—
Kristen Waggoner,
Newsweek,
21 Jan. 2025
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The investigation never uncovered evidence of a key claim — that both father and son accepted a bribe — and the former FBI informant who made the claim pleaded guilty last year to fabricating the claim.—
Rebecca Beitsch,
The Hill,
20 Jan. 2025
Noun
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Given the increasingly absurd pretexts the state is using for criminal prosecution and the resounding success of informers of all stripes, the judicial crackdown will continue to worsen.—
Andrei Kolesnikov,
Foreign Affairs,
17 May 2024
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Standing in his way are British spies, French informers and jealous colleagues.—
Liza Foreman,
The Hollywood Reporter,
10 Apr. 2024
Noun
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Shanks brilliantly paces the story out with several pieces of foreshadowing, including a rat king as symbolism for toxic codependency, mirroring a gruesome story Tim tells Millie about his father’s death and his mother’s mental health.—
Glenn Garner,
Deadline,
27 Jan. 2025
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Research has shown that Red No. 3 can cause cancer in laboratory rats when exposed to high levels.—
Brittney Melton,
NPR,
21 Jan. 2025
Thesaurus Entries Near canary
Cite this Entry
“Canary.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/canary. Accessed 1 Feb. 2025.
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