carrier pigeon

American

noun

one of a breed of domestic pigeons having a large wattle around the base of the beak.
a homing pigeon trained to carry messages.

carrier pigeon British

noun

any homing pigeon, esp one used for carrying messages

"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 carrier pigeon

First recorded in 1640–50

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.

Also good luck finding a reliable carrier pigeon named Harry.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 10, 2026

Why not let me and the readers know by dropping me an mail here, a tweet here, or send a carrier pigeon to Lee, The North.

From The Guardian • Oct. 19, 2019

Why would anyone deliver a thumb drive by pony express or carrier pigeon when the internet was made for the purpose of quickly and easily delivering data electronically?

From Slate • Dec. 14, 2018

A carrier pigeon that successfully collected top secret messages from France during World War Two is getting a blue plaque.

From BBC • Jan. 19, 2018

“Send a carrier pigeon to the train station first?”

From "The Brightwood Code" by Monica Hesse

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