sandpiper

noun

sand·​pip·​er ˈsan(d)-ˌpī-pər 

: any of various small shorebirds (family Scolopacidae, the sandpiper family) distinguished from the related plovers chiefly by the longer and soft-tipped bill

Illustration of sandpiper

Examples of sandpiper in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Shorebirds began their journeys early and travel fast, many of them after a short breeding season in the far, far north, so birds like sandpipers, yellowlegs, willets, godwits and curlews are already present in abundant numbers. —Jack Gedney, The Mercury News, 23 Sep. 2024

Examples of birds with this wing type are ducks, falcons, swifts and sandpipers. —Scott Travers, Forbes, 28 Mar. 2024

Without golf balls whizzing overhead, the land has become habitat for migratory shorebirds, among them black-necked stilts, greater yellowlegs and sandpipers, and has even drawn the secretive American bittern. —Cara Buckley, New York Times, 15 Feb. 2024

Compared with these sandpipers, antechinus might seem relatively well-rested. —Jack Tamisiea, Scientific American, 25 Jan. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1674, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing sandpiper

• upland sandpiper

Kids Definition

sandpiper

noun

sand·​pip·​er -ˌpī-pər 

: any of numerous small shorebirds with usually long bills and legs