sandpiper

[ sand-pahy-per ]
See synonyms for sandpiper on Thesaurus.com
noun
  1. any of numerous shore-inhabiting birds of the family Scolopacidae, related to the plovers, typically having a slender bill and a piping call.

Origin of sandpiper

1
First recorded in 1665–75; sand + piper

Words Nearby sandpiper

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use sandpiper in a sentence

  • Mr. Couch adds that this was the first specimen of the Common sandpiper he had had since he had been in the Islands.

  • The common sandpiper is about upon the shallows where the streams run swiftly, and the elegant water wagtails abound.

  • Their appearance is very similar to the Least sandpiper, but they are slightly larger and the feet are partially webbed.

    Western Bird Guide | Chester A. (Chester Albert) Reed, Harry F. Harvey, and Rex I. Brasher
  • Similar in appearance to the Red-backed sandpiper, but not so reddish above, and the latter has the black patch on the belly.

    The Bird Book | Chester A. Reed
  • Otherwise very similar to the Least sandpiper, but with the breast and sides of neck ruddy in summer.

    The Bird Book | Chester A. Reed

British Dictionary definitions for sandpiper

sandpiper

/ (ˈsændˌpaɪpə) /


noun
  1. any of numerous N hemisphere shore birds of the genera Tringa, Calidris, etc, typically having a long slender bill and legs and cryptic plumage: family Scolopacidae, order Charadriiformes

  2. any other bird of the family Scolopacidae, which includes snipes and woodcocks

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012