albatross
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.
Origin of albatross
1Words Nearby albatross
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 | FortuneWell, 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-ScienceAfter 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 | DigidayWhen 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.
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.
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 | THE DAILY BEASTShe confesses that shame “hung around my neck like a scarlet-A albatross.”
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 | THE DAILY BEASTIt 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 | THE DAILY BEASTBut 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 | THE DAILY BEASTHe 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 BottInstantly a great albatross swooped down upon it and swallowed the bait.
My Life in Many States and in Foreign Lands | George Francis TrainFar 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. SextonI was surprised and delighted to see a large albatross soaring majestically over the ship.
The Coral Island | R.M. BallantyneA 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
/ (ˈælbəˌtrɒs) /
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 flight: See also wandering albatross
a constant and inescapable burden or handicap: an albatross of debt
golf a score of three strokes under par for a hole
Origin of albatross
1Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
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