emu

1 of 2

noun

: a swift-running Australian ratite bird (Dromaius novaehollandiae) with undeveloped wings that is smaller than the ostrich

Illustration of emu

Illustration of emu

emu

2 of 2

abbreviation

electromagnetic unit

Examples of emu in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
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Noun
An emu wandering the streets of Lakewood caused a stir near a Regional Transportation District train station Monday morning. Lauren Penington, Denver Post, 18 Aug. 2025 In April, officials in suburban San Diego received a report about an emu on the loose. Raven Brunner, People.com, 23 July 2025 Now, the feathery emu bobs for cherry tomatoes in her half-foot deep blue kiddie pool and watches as passersby marvel at her ability to find any fruit thrown to her. Kairi Lowery, The Orlando Sentinel, 9 July 2025 Colossal Biosciences has already begun building reference genomes of the tinamou as well as of the emu, Australia’s species of large flightless bird. Degen Pener, HollywoodReporter, 8 July 2025 See All Example Sentences for emu

Word History

Etymology

Noun

modification of Portuguese ema cassowary

First Known Use

Noun

1656, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of emu was in 1656

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Emu.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/emu. Accessed 9 Sep. 2025.

Kids Definition

emu

noun
ˈē-myü
: a swift-running Australian bird with undeveloped wings that is related to but smaller than the ostrich

More from Merriam-Webster on emu

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