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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

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

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

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

She screeches like a blue jay when she laughs.

From "Out of My Mind" by Sharon M. Draper

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