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Showing results for barn swallow. Search instead for Barn+Swallow.

barn swallow

American  

noun

  1. a common swallow, Hirundo rustica, of North America and Eurasia, that nests in barns and similar buildings.


barn swallow British  

noun

  1. the US and Canadian name for the common swallow, Hirundo rustica See swallow 2

"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

Etymology

Origin of barn swallow

An Americanism dating back to 1780–90


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.

See Examples For:

Two new barn swallow murals by Harlem artist Marthalicia Matarrita had replaced ones badly damaged by graffiti.

From Washington Post ● Jul. 7, 2022

Our study suggests that the evolution of female barn swallow songs is more important than the evolution of male songs for explaining why the two sexes sound different.

From Scientific American ● May 4, 2022

The new arrivals included the mallard duck and barn swallow, whose normal range was previously well to the south.

From Seattle Times ● Oct. 4, 2019

Here Pamuk flits like a barn swallow over fascinating issues of contemporary Turkish life, but never alights long enough to offer interesting insights or even substantially enrich the story.

From New York Times ● Oct. 16, 2017

I look up to see a mama barn swallow skitter off from her nest for more food.

From "The Last Cuentista" by Donna Barba Higuera

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