grosbeak
Americannoun
noun
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any of various finches, such as Pinicola enucleator ( pine grosbeak ), that have a massive powerful bill
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any of various mostly tropical American buntings, such as the cardinal and pyrrhuloxia, the males of which have brightly coloured plumage
Etymology
Origin of grosbeak
First recorded in 1670–80; partial translation of French grosbec “large bill”; see origin at gross ( def. ), beak
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
The rose-breasted grosbeak is there too, and the red-eyed vireo, and the indigo bunting.
From Washington Post • Feb. 22, 2023
The area is home to woodpeckers like the red-breasted sapsucker and songbirds like the black-headed grosbeak, which whistles its warbled song in the shade.
From Seattle Times • Jul. 15, 2021
Other new breeding species include the eastern meadowlark, known for its sharp call; the blue grosbeak, a striking blue relative of the cardinal; and the bobolink, a bumblebee-colored blackbird that migrates 12,500 miles annually.
From New York Times • Jun. 9, 2016
It’s these morsels of food, mountain ash berries, for which the pine grosbeak has come.
From Washington Times • Jan. 31, 2015
The chipmunk’s shrill voice cut through the silence, and its claws scrabbled up the dresser as the cat half sprang—but recollected himself in time and slipped but of the door after the grosbeak instead.
From "The Incredible Journey" by Sheila Burnford
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
