canary

[ kuh-nair-ee ]

/ kəˈnɛər i /

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See synonyms for: canary / canaries on Thesaurus.com

noun, plural ca·nar·ies.

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.

Also called canary yellow . a light, clear yellow color.

Slang. informer (def. 1).

Slang. a female singer, especially with a dance band.

a sweet white wine of the Canary Islands, resembling sherry.

Also called canary diamond . a yellow diamond.

adjective

having the color canary.

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Origin of canary

1585–95; <Spanish (Isla) Canaria<Latin Canāria (insula) Dog (Island), equivalent to can(is) dog + -āria, feminine of -ārius-ary

Words nearby canary

canapé, Canara, canard, Canarese, Canaries Current, canary, canarybird flower, canary creeper, canary grass, Canary Islands, canary seed

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

How to use canary in a sentence

The person said the data was “deeply disconcerting” and a “canary in the coal mine” for scientists who had seen the data.
‘The war has changed’: Internal CDC document urges new messaging, warns delta infections likely more severe|Yasmeen Abutaleb, Carolyn Y. Johnson, Joel Achenbach|July 30, 2021|Washington Post
For canaries, just seeing their feathered friends get sick may be enough to preemptively rev up their immune systems.
The mere sight of illness may kick-start a canary’s immune system|Jonathan Lambert|June 8, 2021|Science News
The breakthrough cases resulting in hospitalization or death will, she says, serve as a canary in the coal mine for when vaccine protection might be waning for whatever reason.
Why 'Breakthrough' Infections Even After COVID-19 Vaccinations Shouldn’t Be Surprising|Alice Park|May 28, 2021|Time
He’s now a canary to test whether humans might safely cohabitate with the silent invaders.
Politics and the pandemic have changed how we imagine cities|Joanne McNeil|April 28, 2021|MIT Technology Review

The building is bright yellow, and nearly everything inside is some shade of goldenrod or canary or banana.
How Whitney Wolfe Herd Turned a Vision of a Better Internet Into a Billion-Dollar Brand|Charlotte Alter/Austin|March 19, 2021|Time
“This is not a judgment of guilt, nor is it a suspension of any other canonical penalty,” Canary wrote.
Chicago Priests Raped and Pillaged for 50 Years|Barbie Latza Nadeau|November 7, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The aforementioned stories may very well be legitimate, but let's consider them a sort of canary in the coal mine.
Brace Yourself: October Election Surprises Surely on the Way|Matt Lewis|October 31, 2014|DAILY BEAST
As has often been the case with issues of LGBT equality, this vote is the canary in the coalmine.
At the United Nations, It’s Human Rights, Putin-Style|Jay Michaelson|June 26, 2014|DAILY BEAST
It's like she is in Fashion Jail and only allowed to wear frumpy dated Sloane florals and old lady canary yellow.
Is Pippa Middleton Just Very Badly Dressed?|Tom Sykes|September 27, 2013|DAILY BEAST
Since retail can be the canary in the coal mine for the broader economy, there's real reason to be anxious.
March Jobs Report: Not Good|Megan McArdle|April 5, 2013|DAILY BEAST
On the 7th of August we neared the Canary Isles, but unfortunately, on account of the thick fog, we could not see them.
A Woman's Journey Round the World|Ida Pfeiffer
Their present canary was quite the most delightful little creature they had ever possessed.
Skipper Worse|Alexander Lange Kielland
The Canary Islands boast of two bishoprics, both of which are now vacant, yet have not one newspaper.
Journal of a Voyage to Brazil|Maria Graham
Neither the pine-apple nor water-melon grow in Teneriffe, but abundance of the latter are brought from Grand Canary.
Journal of a Voyage to Brazil|Maria Graham
She is like a canary bird; when others begin to speak, she hurries in her remarks, in an accompaniment.
The Ladies' Book of Etiquette, and Manual of Politeness|Florence Hartley

British Dictionary definitions for canary

canary

/ (kəˈnɛərɪ) /

noun plural -naries

a small finch, Serinus canaria, of the Canary Islands and Azores: a popular cagebird noted for its singing. Wild canaries are streaked yellow and brown, but most domestic breeds are pure yellow

See canary yellow

Australian history a convict

archaic a sweet wine from the Canary Islands similar to Madeira

Word Origin for canary

C16: from Old Spanish canario of or from the Canary Islands

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

Other Idioms and Phrases with canary

canary

see look like the cat that ate the canary.

canary

Origin of canary

Words nearby canary

Words related to canary

How to use canary in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for canary

Word Origin for canary

Other Idioms and Phrases with canary