broadbill

[ brawd-bil ]

noun

any of several small, often brightly colored passerine birds of the family Eurylaimidae, of the Old World tropics, having a broad, flattened bill².
any of various birds with a broad bill, as the scaup duck, shoveler, and spoonbill.

Origin of broadbill

First recorded in 1625–35; broad + bill²

Words Nearby broadbill

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use broadbill in a sentence

It seems reasonable and fair to give notice that broadbill swordfish are not the only dangers to encounter at Avalon.
Tales of Fishes | Zane Grey
That would not have mattered if I had not hurt my back in an eleven-hour fight with a giant broadbill swordfish.
Tales of lonely trails | Zane Grey
The first broadbill I sighted had a skinned tail, and evidently had been in a battle of some kind.
Tales of Fishes | Zane Grey
It was significant that the broadbill swordfish did not return to Avalon in 1918, as in former years.
Tales of Fishes | Zane Grey
He quit, same as he quit the first day out, when I hooked the broadbill and the reel froze.
Tales of Fishes | Zane Grey

British Dictionary definitions for broadbill

broadbill

/ (ˈbrɔːdˌbɪl) /

noun

any passerine bird of the family Eurylaimidae, of tropical Africa and Asia, having bright plumage and a short wide bill
US any of various wide-billed birds, such as the scaup and shoveler

US another name for swordfish

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

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