macaw

noun

ma·​caw mə-ˈkȯ How to pronounce macaw (audio)
: any of numerous parrots (especially genus Ara) of South and Central America including some of the largest and showiest of parrots

Illustration of macaw

Illustration of macaw

Examples of macaw in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
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This includes providing care for lions, tigers, gibbons, macaws, chimpanzees, parrots, goats, sheep, rabbits and reptiles, among other creatures. Clara Harter, Los Angeles Times, 4 Jan. 2025 The fantastical element is Death, who comes to release Tuesday from her suffering in the form of a talking macaw that can alter its size at will. Ars Technica, 23 Dec. 2024 An echo of chattering macaws cracks through the rattle of the cicadas. Lale Arikoglu, Condé Nast Traveler, 19 July 2023 The art is in the otherworldly magic within the pictures—the majesty of a wolf’s face, the grace of swans on a lake, the bold colors of red-and-green macaws, the pose of a porcupine, the embrace of a tiger. Kayla Randall, Smithsonian Magazine, 9 Oct. 2024 See all Example Sentences for macaw 

Word History

Etymology

Portuguese (now obsolete) macao

First Known Use

1625, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of macaw was in 1625

Dictionary Entries Near macaw

Cite this Entry

“Macaw.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/macaw. Accessed 29 Jan. 2025.

Kids Definition

macaw

noun
ma·​caw mə-ˈkȯ How to pronounce macaw (audio)
: any of numerous parrots of South and Central America that have a long tail, a harsh voice, and bright feathers

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