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• robin
  robin

  noun

  any of several small Old World birds having a red or reddish breast, especially Erithacus rubecula, of Europe.
• Robin
  Robin

  noun

  a male or female given name: derived from Robert.

robin

¹ American  

[rob-in] / ˈrɒb ɪn /

noun

• robins
  plural

1. any of several small Old World birds having a red or reddish breast, especially Erithacus rubecula, of Europe.

2. a large American thrush, Turdus migratorius, having a chestnut-red breast and abdomen.

3. any of several similar thrushes of the New World tropics, not necessarily having reddish underparts, as T. grayi clay-colored robin, of Mexico and Central America.

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Robin ² American  

[rob-in] / ˈrɒb ɪn /

noun

1. a male or female given name: derived from Robert.

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robin British  

/ ˈrɒbɪn /

noun

1. Also called: robin redbreast. a small Old World songbird, Erithacus rubecula , related to the thrushes: family Muscicapidae . The male has a brown back, orange-red breast and face, and grey underparts

2. a North American thrush, Turdus migratorius , similar to but larger than the Old World robin

3. any of various similar birds having a reddish breast

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• robins
  plural

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Etymology

Origin of robin

First recorded in 1540–50; short for robin redbreast

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Explanation

The sweet-sounding, red-chested birds that symbolize the beginning of spring are robins. There are actually many different birds called robins, and while most share a reddish-orange breast, they're actually distantly related to each other. In the U.S., the bird we think of as a robin is officially the American robin, a kind of thrush. It's the most common land bird in North America, and it's famous for laying eggs very early in the spring — and singing at the crack of dawn. The robin's most deadly predator is the domesticated cat.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

robin Robin robins

We were reading “The Secret Garden” out loud, round robin, and I was bored.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 7, 2026

However, the naming of the robin as the UK's favourite bird did have its critics.

From BBC ● Mar. 10, 2026

Sweden believed one of the Canadians was repeatedly double-touching, giving the stone another little prod with his finger to correct its course during Friday's round robin match.

From Barron's ● Feb. 14, 2026

Not even from dreaded rival Canada, which was missing injured star Marie-Philip Poulin, and fell to Team USA 5-0 in the opening round robin.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 13, 2026

That robin got so tame he would come and take crumbs from my bed, because I left the window open, even when it was very cold.

From "My Life with the Chimpanzees" by Jane Goodall

It was based on actual stuffed toys of the author's son, Christopher Robin Milne.

From BBC ● Oct. 6, 2026

Robin Brooks, for example, senior fellow at the Brookings Institution, discussed the potential for a spike in the real against the dollar in a posting on X Wednesday.

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 2, 2026

"This event is the worst we've seen and unlike any other botched execution in the modern era," Robin Maher, the executive director of the Death Penalty Information Center, told The New York Times.

From Barron's ● Oct. 1, 2026

Robin Swanson, spokesperson for the Yes on 38 campaign, said that “lots of institutions would qualify for funds under this measure.”

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 1, 2026

Our schnauzer, Robin Hood, nestles at her feet.

From "A Place at the Table" by Saadia Faruqi and Laura Shovan

Donovan has taken full advantage of the home’s surroundings, regularly sharing videos of the garden on his Instagram account, including a January 2023 clip of a flock of robins visiting a birdbath on the grounds.

From MarketWatch ● Apr. 10, 2026

Market hunters used shotguns, nets and traps to fill traincars with passenger pigeons—as well as robins, woodpeckers, blackbirds and orioles.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 23, 2026

Blackbirds and robins are usually the first to sing, external, followed by wrens, thrushes, and warblers as the light increases.

From BBC ● Dec. 27, 2025

"Using this comparative model, we were then able to trace down the piezo-positive mechanosensory neurons and taste receptor-expressing epithelial cells in digging sea robins that were absent in the non-digging species."

From Salon ● Sep. 27, 2024

In spring, the meadows burst into galaxies of yellow-mustard flowers, and robins and thrashers sing in stands of tulip trees and white ash.

From "The Hot Zone" by Richard Preston

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