teal

American  

[teel] / til /

noun

• teals,
  plural
• teal
  plural

1. any of several species of small dabbling ducks, of worldwide distribution, usually traveling in tight flocks and frequenting ponds and marshes.

2. Also called teal blue. a medium to dark greenish blue.

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teal British  

/ tiːl /

noun

1. any of various small ducks, such as the Eurasian Anas crecca ( common teal ) that are related to the mallard and frequent ponds, lakes, and marshes

2. a greenish-blue colour

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• teal
  plural
• teals
  plural

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Etymology

Origin of teal

1275–1325; Middle English tele; akin to Dutch taling, Middle Low German telink

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Compare meaning

How does teal compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:

• teal vs. turquoise
• peacock blue vs. teal

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Explanation

Teal things are colored a deep shade of blue-green, like the sparkling teal water in a tropical lagoon. The color gets its name from a kind of duck, also called a teal. The common teal is a migratory water bird, a duck with a teal stripe on its head and wings. The origin of the word is unclear, but we know the bird came first and then the color—the green-blue teal was first used in print in a 1923 clothing advertisement. It was added as an official color to the Plochere Color System, an interior design reference, in 1948, and became a Crayola crayon color in 1990.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

teal teals

Today, the home still boasts a textured, warm feel, coupled with several color-drenched spaces, such as a dark teal den—and a kitchen with bold green cabinets.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 31, 2026

But Winkleman's own chat show did not last long enough for any more unusual guest combinations on its teal sofa.

From BBC ● Jul. 24, 2026

The Lauensteins have thematically used the teal color on other ceilings, along with a similar hue on the exterior trim.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 21, 2026

Symbols that the pioneering assemblage artist has been “remixing” for more than seven decades — stars, moons, eyes, hands — emerge in vibrant washes of magenta, teal and her favored crepuscular blues.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 15, 2026

A few moments later, my door opens quietly, and Max slips in with a teal backpack at her side.

From "The Sky at Our Feet" by Nadia Hashimi

Its two members - Sydney MPs Zali Steggall and Allegra Spender - are from a group of independent MPs known as "teals" who share socially liberal values and want greater climate action.

From BBC ● Jun. 25, 2026

The flute bones, which came from Eurasian coots and Eurasian teals, were found in the Eynan/Ain Mallaha dig site linked to hunter-gatherers from the final Natufian period 12,000 years ago.

From Reuters ● Jun. 12, 2023

Over the summer, expect to see goslings learning how to fly, blue-winged teals migrating south, and kingbirds and flycatchers gorging on insects.

From Washington Post ● Jun. 30, 2022

In Surat’s textile market, Jagdish Goyal sat scowling in his deserted shop with piles of women’s suits in teals and oranges, priced for the working poor, now stacked to the ceiling.

From New York Times ● Sep. 5, 2020

Frightful looked down on black ducks, mallards, bluewinged teals, plovers, godwits, yellowlegs, sandpipers—all the migrating birds that loved wetlands.

From "Frightful's Mountain" by Jean Craighead George

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Related Words

• blue-green

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