gannet

American

[gan-it] / ˈgæn ɪt /

noun

any large, web-footed, seabird of the family Sulidae, having a sharply pointed bill, long wings, and a wedge-shaped tail, noted for its plunging dives for fish.

gannet British

/ ˈɡænɪt /

noun

any of several heavily built marine birds of the genus Morus (or Sula ), having a long stout bill and typically white plumage with dark markings: family Sulidae, order Pelecaniformes (pelicans, cormorants, etc) See also booby
slang a gluttonous or greedy person

"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 gannet

before 900; Middle English; Old English ganot; akin to Dutch gent gander

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.

Scuttle the boy seagull is now Scuttle the female gannet.

From Washington Times • May 25, 2023

The birds do not want the next gannet over to get in their territory, even as they reside barely a wingspan apart.

From Seattle Times • Nov. 12, 2022

Portobello beach, where one of the posters features on a large litter bin, is on the Firth of Forth - the site of the world's biggest gannet population.

From BBC • Jul. 26, 2022

I watched a gannet point its beak to the sky and knew what would happen next.

From Washington Post • May 27, 2022

There was no sound but the ice-cold surge, the cry of a gannet, invisible in grayness above me.

From "Grendel" by John Gardner

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023