mockingbird
Americannoun
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any of several gray, black, and white songbirds of the genus Mimus, especially M. polyglottos, of the U.S. and Mexico, noted for their ability to mimic the songs of other birds.
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any of various related or similar birds, as Melanotis caerulescens blue mockingbird, of Mexico.
noun
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any American songbird of the family Mimidae, having a long tail and grey plumage: noted for their ability to mimic the song of other birds
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a small scrub bird, Atrichornis rufescens , noted for its mimicry
Etymology
Origin of mockingbird
1670–80, mocking ( def. ) + bird
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.
To Kill a Mockingbird, which Foote adapted from Harper Lee's novel, was the actor's first film role and led to appearances in such films as The Chase, Bullitt and True Grit.
From BBC • Feb. 16, 2026
Take Me High will be shown at the Mockingbird Cinema, in Digbeth, Birmingham at 20:00 GMT on Friday.
From BBC • Nov. 14, 2025
It's the only known recording of Harper Lee talking about To Kill A Mockingbird.
From BBC • Oct. 20, 2025
To Kill A Mockingbird "had a huge influence on the way a lot of people thought about race relations in the United States".
From BBC • Oct. 20, 2025
Those are what you wear in To Kill a Mockingbird!
From "Mockingbird" by Kathryn Erskine
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.
