blue jay

American  

noun

• blue jays
  plural

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

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blue jay British  

noun

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

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• blue jays
  plural

Etymology

Origin of blue jay

An Americanism dating back to 1700–10

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

blue jay

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

From Science Daily ● Jan. 17, 2024

Another loudmouth, the blue jay, has a particular taste for acorns, which inspired one of Strassmann’s slow-birder exercises: Go look for acorns beneath an oak in your garden or park.

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

It was a fledgling, a blue jay we think.

From Washington Post ● May 30, 2022

I play the first words of Esteban’s story over and over as my father’s song lifts up to my room, as my uncle packs above me, as the blue jay perches in the Ailanthus tree.

From "Harbor Me" by Jacqueline Woodson