Did you know?
What makes up a bevy?
There’s no need to quail when confronted with a word of uncertain origins; some mysteries are simply destined to remain as such. Etymologists have a bevy of theories about the roots of bevy, for example, but little definitive evidence—and that’s okay! What we do know is that bevy emerged out of Middle English as the collective noun for a number of birds and mammals that were commonly hunted, including pheasants, partridges, roe deer, larks, and especially quail. Bevy is still used in this way today, not only for wild game but for gulls, hens, etc. But bevies are now most often composed of a great many people and things, as in “a bevy of reporters” or “a bevy of menu options.”
Examples of bevy in a Sentence
Julia Teti, WWD, 13 Mar. 2025
As bankrupt arts and crafts retailer Joann closes all of its roughly 800 stores nationwide, Pittsburghers won't be left in the lurch, thanks to a bevy of local businesses.
—Chrissy Suttles, Axios, 13 Mar. 2025
Trump and Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency have taken a hatchet to the federal workforce, laying off thousands across multiple government agencies and spurring a bevy of legal challenges.
—Lexi Lonas Cochran, The Hill, 12 Mar. 2025
The Knicks didn’t just bury the Kings beneath a bevy of treys late Monday night.
—Kristian Winfield, New York Daily News, 11 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for bevy
Cite this Entry
“Bevy.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/bevy. Accessed 23 Mar. 2025.
Copy Citation
Share