Meaning & use
flamingos
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“flamingos” is a form of “flamingo”. See that entry for the full set of meanings.
Meanings
nouncountable
Large pink or reddish wading birds with very long thin legs, long necks, and curved bills, often seen standing in shallow water.
Grammar: The singular is flamingo; use flamingos when you talk about more than one.
Patterns
- a flock of flamingos
- a group of flamingos
- flamingos in the water
We watched a flock of flamingos wading through the shallow lagoon.
The zoo's flamingos stood on one leg while they slept.
Thousands of flamingos gather at this lake every summer.
noununcountable
A bright pink color like that of these birds, often used for clothing and decoration.
Grammar: Used as a color word, it has no plural and usually comes before a noun.
Patterns
- flamingo pink
- in flamingo pink
She painted the bathroom walls a soft flamingo pink.
The team wore flamingo-colored shirts for the charity run.
Word forms
| singular | flamingo |
|---|
Common combinations
- a flock of flamingos
- A flock of flamingos flew low over the salt flats at dusk.
- flamingos wading
- The flamingos were wading slowly through the warm shallows.
- stand on one leg
- Flamingos often stand on one leg to save body heat.
- pink flamingos
- Plastic pink flamingos decorated the front lawn.
- flamingo pink
- Her new phone case is flamingo pink.
Synonyms and how they differ
- wading bird
- A general term for birds such as herons and cranes that feed in shallow water; use it when you do not need to name the exact species.
Word family
- flamingo noun
- The singular form, used for one bird.
Commonly confused: flamingos or flamenco?
flamingos vs flamenco
Flamenco is a style of Spanish music and dance; flamingo is the bird. They sound similar but are completely unrelated.
Practice
Choose the sentence that uses the word correctly.
Choose one answer.
Flamingos are birds, so they stand in water. Option 2 describes flamenco dancing, option 3 confuses the bird with flamenco music, and option 4 uses a plural noun with a singular verb.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “flamingos”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.