albatross

[ al-buh-traws, -tros ]

/ ˈæl bəˌtrɔs, -ˌtrɒs /

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See synonyms for albatross on Thesaurus.com

noun

any of several large, web-footed sea birds of the family Diomedeidae that have the ability to remain aloft for long periods.Compare wandering albatross.

a seemingly inescapable moral or emotional burden, as of guilt or responsibility.

something burdensome that impedes action or progress.

Textiles.

a lightweight worsted fabric with a crepe or pebble finish.
a plain-weave cotton fabric with a soft nap surface.

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His boss, whom he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

His boss, who he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

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Origin of albatross

1675–85; variant of algatross frigate bird <Portuguese alcatraz pelican, probably <Arabic al-ghaṭṭāṣ a kind of sea eagle, literally, the diver; -b- for -g- perhaps by association with Latin albus white (the bird's color)

Words nearby albatross

Albany, Albany Congress, albarello, albarium, albata, albatross, albatross around one's neck, Al-Battani, albedo, albedometer, Albee

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use albatross in a sentence

Most of the stores being closed are in weak malls from which shoppers have long since defected and which have become an albatross for Macy’s.
Macy’s is closing 45 stores in big wave of its turnaround plan|Phil Wahba|January 5, 2021|Fortune
Well, birds in the order Procellariiformes—albatrosses, petrels, shearwaters—are commonly known as tubenoses because of that curious little characteristic.
Here’s the real story behind Alfred Hitchcock’s ‘The Birds’|Tom McNamara|December 3, 2020|Popular-Science
After all, these frequent discounts have proved an albatross for old school retailers like Bed Bath & Beyond and Gap, training people to wait for a deal.
DTC brands are rethinking their ‘never-go-on-sale’ rule|Anna Hensel|September 11, 2020|Digiday
When the opportunity arose to analyze flight data from albatrosses — birds that fly freely over the open ocean in search of food — he gratefully took it.
Random Search Wired Into Animals May Help Them Hunt|Liam Drew|June 11, 2020|Quanta Magazine

The study also criticized certain analytical techniques and claimed that albatrosses don’t do Lévy walks after all, and that it was unclear whether many species did.
Random Search Wired Into Animals May Help Them Hunt|Liam Drew|June 11, 2020|Quanta Magazine
Note to Sting: An “albatross” in this context is more like “tens of thousands of dollars of student loan debt.”
Sting and Hillary Are Just Like You: How the Very Rich Play at Being Very Ordinary|Tim Teeman|June 24, 2014|DAILY BEAST
She confesses that shame “hung around my neck like a scarlet-A albatross.”
The Monica Column You Least Expected|Kevin Bleyer|May 11, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The deal reached to end the shutdown did nothing to address the albatross of unpredictability.
The GOP’s Uncertainty Strategy Is Killing the Recovery|Kirsten Powers|October 18, 2013|DAILY BEAST
It was tough when I was younger; it was like an albatross on my back but I just found a way to navigate it.
Helen Mirren On ‘Hitchcock,’ Sexism, Queen Elizabeth II & More|Marlow Stern|November 20, 2012|DAILY BEAST
But the Ryan budget could become an albatross in the negotiations over the fiscal cliff.
Back in Congress, What Will Paul Ryan Do Next?|Eleanor Clift|November 16, 2012|DAILY BEAST
He proposed that I might pilot the two-seater while he followed and pretended to give chase in an Albatross scout.
Eastern Nights - and Flights|Alan Bott
Instantly a great albatross swooped down upon it and swallowed the bait.
My Life in Many States and in Foreign Lands|George Francis Train
Far out on the Pacific the albatross sails proudly on his broad wings, and cares nothing for high winds or storms.
Stories of California|Ella M. Sexton
I was surprised and delighted to see a large albatross soaring majestically over the ship.
The Coral Island|R.M. Ballantyne
A few hours later we were landing beside the Albatross, in the leaden blue sea beyond the ice barrier.
Astounding Stories, April, 1931|Various

British Dictionary definitions for albatross

albatross

/ (ˈælbəˌtrɒs) /

noun

any large oceanic bird of the genera Diomedea and Phoebetria, family Diomedeidae, of cool southern oceans: order Procellariiformes (petrels). They have long narrow wings and are noted for a powerful gliding flightSee also wandering albatross

a constant and inescapable burden or handicapan albatross of debt

golf a score of three strokes under par for a hole

Word Origin for albatross

C17: from Portuguese alcatraz pelican, from Arabic al-ghattās, from al the + ghattās white-tailed sea eagle; influenced by Latin albus white: C20 in sense 2, from The Rime of the Ancient Mariner (1798) by Samuel Taylor Coleridge

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

albatross

Origin of albatross

Words nearby albatross

Words related to albatross

How to use albatross in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for albatross

Word Origin for albatross