chickadee

noun

chick·​a·​dee ˈchi-kə-(ˌ)dē How to pronounce chickadee (audio)
: any of several small North American oscine birds (genus Poecile of the family Paridae) that are related to the titmice, usually have the crown of the head distinctly darker than the body, and have sometimes been placed especially formerly in a related genus (Parus)

Examples of chickadee in a Sentence

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.
And there’s a lot of hidden drama in chickadees’ world, as author Rebecca Heisman relates. Laura Helmuth, Scientific American, 17 Sep. 2024 Replace sunflower seeds with safflower to attract grosbeaks, cardinals and chickadees. Karl Schneider, The Indianapolis Star, 9 Sep. 2024 Upon seeing an owl, a chickadee might sound a loud chick-a-dee-dee-dee, adding dees in relation to how dangerous the predator is perceived to be. Rivka Galchen, The New Yorker, 14 Oct. 2024 For this issue’s feature story about hybrid chickadees by writer Rebecca Heisman, Thorp mapped the hybrids’ shifting range. Allison Parshall, Scientific American, 17 Sep. 2024 See all Example Sentences for chickadee 

Word History

Etymology

imitative

First Known Use

1832, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of chickadee was in 1832

Dictionary Entries Near chickadee

Cite this Entry

“Chickadee.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/chickadee. Accessed 21 Nov. 2024.

Kids Definition

chickadee

noun
chick·​a·​dee ˈchik-ə-(ˌ)dē How to pronounce chickadee (audio)
: any of several small North American birds with the top of the head black or brown

More from Merriam-Webster on chickadee

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!