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blue jay

American  

noun

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

blue jay British  

noun

  1. 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

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

When the crow settled on a roof nearby, an adult blue jay sat a few yards away squawking miserably.

From Washington Post • May 30, 2022

Quintel, the show revolved around a blue jay and a raccoon who went on weird adventures.

From New York Times • Jul. 9, 2020

At last the wind blows, the whiteness thins, and the blue jay catches sight of me.

From "On the Far Side of the Mountain" by Jean Craighead George

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

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.