birdie

1 of 2

noun

bird·​ie ˈbər-dē How to pronounce birdie (audio)
plural birdies
1
: a little bird
2
: a golf score of one stroke less than par on a hole compare eagle entry 1
3
: shuttlecock
In Asia, badminton is an obsession … . In one preliminary match in Malaysia, 21,000 people came out to watch the speeding birdie.Jennifer Boeth

birdie

2 of 2

verb

birdied; birdieing

transitive verb

: to score a birdie on

Examples of birdie in a Sentence

Noun I made a birdie on the fifth hole. I made birdie on the fifth hole. Verb She birdied the second hole.
Recent Examples on the Web
Noun
Only Webb Simpson had bettered McIlroy’s 21 birdies and (or) eagles through three rounds in the tournament’s 50 year-history, according to golf journalist Justin Ray. Jack Bantock, CNN, 16 Mar. 2024 In the threesome right behind was Lucas Glover, who pulled even with a birdie at 10 before a double bogey at the 11th. Steve Galluzzo, Los Angeles Times, 16 Feb. 2024 Matthieu Pavon of France finished third with a birdie on the last hole Saturday. Doug Ferguson, USA TODAY, 5 Feb. 2024 That was Minnesota Golf Hall of Famer Bill Israelson, 66, making seven birdies while shooting his age the other day at Trilogy Verge River in Arizona. Charley Walters, Twin Cities, 27 Jan. 2024 Continue reading Dodgers spring schedule GOLF (Ryan Kang / Associated Press) From Steve Galluzzo: Hideki Matsuyama made a trio of three consecutive birdies Sunday on his way to a sizzling 62 and that proved more than good enough to win the Genesis Invitational at Riviera Country Club. Austin Knoblauch, Los Angeles Times, 19 Feb. 2024 Be prepared for your teen to get the swing of it quickly and go wild with whacking the birdies back to you. Rebecca Jones, Southern Living, 19 Feb. 2024 Schauffele opened with a 15-foot eagle putt on the par-5 first and was relatively quiet until taking care of the par 5s on the back and adding birdies at the short par-4 10th and a tee shot to 7 feet on the par-3 16th. Doug Ferguson, USA TODAY, 18 Feb. 2024 This technicality cost Roberto De Vicenzo his shot at The Masters in 1968, when playing partner Tommy Aaron incorrectly recorded one of the Argentinian’s final round birdies as a par. Jack Bantock, CNN, 20 Feb. 2024
Verb
Moments earlier, Cantlay came up with his best putt of the day to birdie the last hole and reach 13 under. Steve Galluzzo, Los Angeles Times, 18 Feb. 2024 Cantlay settled for a 1-under 70, giving him a two-shot lead over Schauffele and Zalatoris, who each birdied the 16th and 17th holes for 65s. Doug Ferguson, USA TODAY, 18 Feb. 2024 Canadian Nick Taylor, 35, birdied three of the final four holes Sunday to force a playoff, and then prevailed over fellow longshot Charley Hoffman, 47, on the second playoff hole. Jay Ginsbach, Forbes, 14 Feb. 2024 After both players birdied the first replay of the final hole, only Taylor could repeat the feat at the subsequent try, sinking his third successive birdie on the 18th green in the space of an hour to clinch his fourth PGA Tour title and $1.58 million in prize money. Jack Bantock, CNN, 12 Feb. 2024 Jaeger, who began the day 4-under after an opening-round 68 on the South, started on the North’s back nine and birdied five holes to move onto the leaderboard. Kirk Kenney, San Diego Union-Tribune, 26 Jan. 2024 At the qualifier at the Champions Club in Florida, Berry birdied his first two holes before bogeying the third hole. Edward Lee, Baltimore Sun, 17 Jan. 2024 Joe Durant birdied his last three holes for a 68 to finish alone in third. Associated Press, BostonGlobe.com, 17 Sep. 2023 Hatton birdied the 18th for a 66 to momentarily tie Fox for the lead. Associated Press, BostonGlobe.com, 17 Sep. 2023

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'birdie.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

Noun

1768, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb

1921, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of birdie was in 1768

Dictionary Entries Near birdie

Cite this Entry

“Birdie.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/birdie. Accessed 28 Mar. 2024.

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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