as in informant
a person who provides information about another's wrongdoing
a canary who was singing and giving up the names of some of the city's most notorious drug lords
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Example Sentences
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.
Recent Examples of canary
Cats, however, may turn out to be the canaries in the coalmines — pardon the mixed metaphor.
—
Jan Ellen Spiegel, Hartford Courant, 24 Dec. 2024
There is a loud warning in all of this, and Batman is sort of the canary in the coal mine.
—Mark Hughes, Forbes, 8 Oct. 2024
In a lot of ways, Yastrzemski is a canary in the coal mine.
—Grant Brisbee, The Athletic, 22 Nov. 2024
The songbirds, like canaries and starlings and so forth.
—Janna Levin, Quanta Magazine, 21 Nov. 2024
See all Example Sentences for canary 
Jan Ellen Spiegel, Hartford Courant, 24 Dec. 2024
There is a loud warning in all of this, and Batman is sort of the canary in the coal mine.
—Mark Hughes, Forbes, 8 Oct. 2024
In a lot of ways, Yastrzemski is a canary in the coal mine.
—Grant Brisbee, The Athletic, 22 Nov. 2024
The songbirds, like canaries and starlings and so forth.
—Janna Levin, Quanta Magazine, 21 Nov. 2024
See all Example Sentences for canary
Recent Examples of Synonyms for canary
Noun
-
Over six months, the office turned into a hub for nearly 20 hardcore criminals, bikers and gang members, as well as high-flying lawyers, businessmen and major contractors, all involved in tax fraud, disposal of contaminated soil, money laundering and sometimes even torture of informants.—
Annika Pham,
Variety,
14 Feb. 2025
-
And Noor is most interesting of all, an informant who will betray the CIA and Iran alike to protect her family.—
Ben Rosenstock,
Vulture,
23 Jan. 2025
Noun
-
The Ukrainian soldiers began to see Russian civilians as a hindrance — or worse, as potential informers who could give away their positions.—
Ekaterina Bodyagina Nanna Heitmann,
New York Times,
12 Feb. 2025
-
The arrests were part of wide-ranging Establishment attacks on the new generation of pop stars in Britain at the time, done through connivance with informers and a hostile conservative media.—
Bill Wyman,
Vulture,
30 Jan. 2025
Noun
-
Infected rats likely brought the disease from steamships to the shore.—
Sarah Holzmann,
Smithsonian Magazine,
7 Feb. 2025
-
Rather than removing the rodents that are already in cities, the strongest rat management strategies tend to make city survival more challenging, removing the trash and the clutter on which rats rely.—
Sam Walters,
Discover Magazine,
6 Feb. 2025
Thesaurus Entries Near canary
Cite this Entry
“Canary.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/canary. Accessed 21 Feb. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share