canary

noun

ca·​nary kə-ˈner-ē How to pronounce canary (audio)
plural canaries
1
: a Canary Islands usually sweet wine similar to Madeira
2
: a lively 16th century court dance
3
: a small finch (Serinus canaria synonym S. canarius) of the Canary Islands that is usually greenish to yellow and is kept as a cage bird and singer
4

Examples of canary in a Sentence

a canary who was singing and giving up the names of some of the city's most notorious drug lords
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
While the reports do give more clarity than a warrant canary, the traditional canary page has been an industry standard that many people recognize immediately. PC Magazine, 20 May 2025 While in prison, Stroud began raising canaries and conducted research on birds, later publishing respected books on bird diseases. Karina Tsui, CNN Money, 5 May 2025 Last September, a team of researchers from SIO, La Jolla’s J. Craig Venter Institute and other organizations published a study on predicting harmful algae blooms that contain high levels of domoic acid by tracking a single gene that serves like a canary in a coal mine — an early detector of danger. City News Service, San Diego Union-Tribune, 25 Apr. 2025 But Sysco’s revised forecast could be the canary in the kitchen. Catherine Baab, Quartz, 29 Apr. 2025 See All Example Sentences for canary

Word History

Etymology

Middle French canarie, from Old Spanish canario, from Islas Canarias Canary Islands

First Known Use

1592, in the meaning defined at sense 2

Time Traveler
The first known use of canary was in 1592

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Cite this Entry

“Canary.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/canary. Accessed 29 May. 2025.

Kids Definition

canary

noun
ca·​nary kə-ˈne(ə)r-ē How to pronounce canary (audio)
plural canaries
: a small usually yellow or greenish finch native to the Canary Islands that is often kept in a cage

More from Merriam-Webster on canary

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