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
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Recent Examples of canary
Just like canaries, neurodivergent and disabled employees feel productivity constraints in the workplace more intensely than other employees.
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Ludmila Praslova, Forbes, 24 Oct. 2024
These are the canaries in the coal mine for both parties, highly competitive races in states that report their votes early and quickly.
—Andrew Solender, Axios, 5 Nov. 2024
Speaking of comeuppance, Hal was right to flag Dennison’s co-conspirator backing out of the party, as that guy seems to have been the canary in the coalmine.
—Sophie Brookover, Vulture, 31 Oct. 2024
There is something especially disconcerting seeing Vladimir Putin smiling like the cat who ate the canary at this week’s BRICs Summit.
—Jeffrey Sonnenfeld, TIME, 24 Oct. 2024
See all Example Sentences for canary 
Ludmila Praslova, Forbes, 24 Oct. 2024
These are the canaries in the coal mine for both parties, highly competitive races in states that report their votes early and quickly.
—Andrew Solender, Axios, 5 Nov. 2024
Speaking of comeuppance, Hal was right to flag Dennison’s co-conspirator backing out of the party, as that guy seems to have been the canary in the coalmine.
—Sophie Brookover, Vulture, 31 Oct. 2024
There is something especially disconcerting seeing Vladimir Putin smiling like the cat who ate the canary at this week’s BRICs Summit.
—Jeffrey Sonnenfeld, TIME, 24 Oct. 2024
See all Example Sentences for canary
Recent Examples of Synonyms for canary
Noun
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This information was passed off to the DEA from an informant working for the airline who was being paid whenever agents seized cash based on their tips.Andrew Wimer, Forbes, 10 Dec. 2024
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But just as Tomás acclimates to his new life, he is asked by his former boss (and then threatened by state police forces) to essentially become an informant.Lovia Gyarkye, The Hollywood Reporter, 6 Dec. 2024
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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Most studies have been done in rats, not in humans.Amber J. Tresca, Verywell Health, 14 Dec. 2024
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Here is everything to know about roof rats in Arizona.Tiffany Acosta, The Arizona Republic, 13 Dec. 2024
Thesaurus Entries Near canary
Cite this Entry
“Canary.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/canary. Accessed 22 Dec. 2024.
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