blue jay

American

noun

a common, crested jay, Cyanocitta cristata, of eastern North America, having a bright blue back and a gray breast.

blue jay British

noun

a common North American jay, Cyanocitta cristata , having bright blue plumage with greyish-white underparts

"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

Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

blue jays

plural

Etymology

Origin of blue jay

An Americanism dating back to 1700–10

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.

The UC study found that male spiders become motionless and "freeze" when a blue jay calls nearby.

From Science Daily • Jan. 17, 2024

In the name of deeper discovery, Strassmann combed the scientific literature and profiled 16 household-name species, including the Northern cardinal and the blue jay.

From Seattle Times • Dec. 29, 2022

I was named Jaylen after a basketball player, but I tell people I was named after the blue jay.

From New York Times • Oct. 22, 2022

During one shift, he remembers responding to a call about one blue jay with “big bug eyes” — something he had never seen in years of working in animal control.

From Washington Post • Aug. 22, 2021

Outside, a blue jay perches on the edge of a branch.

From "Harbor Me" by Jacqueline Woodson

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023