Meaning & use
bird
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Meanings
nouncountable
An animal that has feathers, wings, and a beak, and that usually lays eggs and can fly.
Grammar: Countable: a bird, two birds.
Patterns
- a bird flies
- a bird sings
- a flock of birds
A small bird landed on the windowsill.
We watched the birds in the garden.
The bird built a nest in the tree.
nouncountableinformal
A person, especially one who is unusual or interesting in some way.
Grammar: Countable, often used informally: He's a strange bird.
Patterns
- a strange bird
- a rare bird
He's a strange bird, but very talented.
She's a rare bird in this field.
nouncountableBritishinformal
A shuttlecock used in badminton.
Grammar: Countable, British English: a bird.
Patterns
- hit the bird
- the bird went over the net
He hit the bird over the net.
The bird landed just inside the line.
Word forms
| plural | birds |
|---|
Common combinations
- bird watching
- Bird watching is a popular hobby in the countryside.
- early bird
- The early bird catches the worm.
- free as a bird
- After the exams, she felt as free as a bird.
- bird's-eye view
- From the top of the hill, we had a bird's-eye view of the town.
- a little bird told me
- A little bird told me it's your birthday today.
Synonyms and how they differ
Word family
- birdie noun
- A childish word for a bird, or a score of one under par in golf.
- birding noun
- The activity of watching birds.
Commonly confused: bird or budgie?
bird vs budgie
A budgie is a type of small parrot often kept as a pet, not a general word for all birds.
Practice
A ___ flew into the room through the open window.
Choose one answer.
A bird is an animal with wings and feathers that can fly through a window. A fish cannot fly, and dogs and cats are not typically described as flying into a room.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “bird”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.