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canaries

  • plural
    of canary.
    canary
    noun
    any of several Old World finches of the genus Serinus, especially S. canaria common canary, native to the Canary Islands and often kept as a pet, in the wild being greenish with brown streaks above and yellow below and in domesticated varieties usually bright yellow or pale yellow.

Example Sentences

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Or were they particularly fragile canaries in an epidemiological coal mine?

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 9, 2026

These problems were the canaries in what proved to be a very deep financial coal mine.

From BBC ● Apr. 28, 2026

Doji candles in January and May 2018 served as canaries in the coal mine, guiding investors to anticipate a large drawdown.

From Barron's ● Apr. 8, 2026

“Black women, we’re always the canaries in the coal mine,” she added.

From Salon ● Mar. 17, 2026

One by one they .opened the bird cages, and the sky filled with parakeets, canaries, lovebirds, and finches, which flew around in circles, blinded by their sudden freedom, and finally took off in every direction.

From "The House of the Spirits: A Novel" by Isabel Allende