woodcock

noun

wood·​cock ˈwu̇d-ˌkäk 

plural woodcocks

1

or plural woodcock

a

: a shorebird (Scolopax rusticola) of Europe and Asia that frequents moist woodlands, has large eyes and rounded wings, is of a variously mottled reddish-brown, black, and buff color with a barred chest, and is often hunted as game

Note: The woodcock has a long bill with a sensitive tip used especially for probing the ground for earthworms and insects.

b

: a smaller related bird (Scolopax minor synonym Philohela minor) chiefly of eastern North America with a similar color pattern but having a solid orange buff chest

2

[from the ease with which the woodcock is snared] archaic : simpleton

Examples of woodcock in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Other events throughout the day include kid-friendly Easter stories, live birds of prey, a bluebird box workshop and an American woodcock sky dance. —Karl Schneider, The Indianapolis Star, 21 Mar. 2024

In the spring, areas around the younger trees drew ground nesters like bobolinks — songbirds that migrate to and from South America — killdeer and woodcocks, who availed themselves of the open spaces to perform their courtship flights and rear their young. —Cara Buckley, New York Times, 13 Dec. 2023

Overview The woodcock is a shorebird without a shore. —Matthew Every, Field & Stream, 18 Oct. 2023

By morning, carcasses ranging from Tennessee warblers to hermit thrush to American woodcocks littered the ground outside the convention center. —Margaret Osborne, Smithsonian Magazine, 10 Oct. 2023

Word History

First Known Use

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Phrases Containing woodcock

• Scotch woodcock

Kids Definition

woodcock

noun

wood·​cock -ˌkäk 

plural woodcocks or woodcock

: a brownish woodland game bird that has a long bill and is related to the snipes

also : a related and similar bird of Eurasia