rockhopper

noun

rock·​hop·​per ˈräk-ˌhä-pər How to pronounce rockhopper (audio)
: a small penguin (Eudyptes chrysocome) with a short thick bill and a yellow crest

Examples of rockhopper 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.
Following two nights in Buenos Aires, adventurers depart Ushuaia, Argentina, in search of rockhopper penguins, black-browed albatrosses in the Falkland Islands, and fur seals and king penguins in South Georgia. Kerry Spencer, Condé Nast Traveler, 26 Dec. 2023 The penguin couple are the parents of the first rockhopper chick born at the Shedd in eight years, the aquarium said Tuesday. Jake Sheridan, Chicago Tribune, 12 July 2023 Grandjean, an enthusiastic bird-watcher with the extravagant eyebrows of a rockhopper penguin, had fond memories of banding storm petrels in the Faroes in his late teens and was familiar with the grindadráp. Kim Tingley, New York Times, 16 Aug. 2023 The southern rockhopper chick (right) stood with an adult. Talia Lissauer, BostonGlobe.com, 2 Aug. 2023 See all Example Sentences for rockhopper 

Word History

First Known Use

1875, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of rockhopper was in 1875

Dictionary Entries Near rockhopper

Cite this Entry

“Rockhopper.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/rockhopper. Accessed 30 Dec. 2024.

Love words? Need even more definitions?

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