crow blackbird

American

noun

any of several North American grackles, especially purple grackles of the genus Quiscalus.

crow blackbird British

noun

another name for grackle

"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 crow blackbird

An Americanism dating back to 1770–80

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.

See Examples For:

crow blackbird

The crow fights the hawk, and the kingbird and the crow blackbird fight the crow; but neither takes any notice of the buzzard.

From Wake-Robin by Burroughs, John

Among the first birds that make their appearance in Washington is the crow blackbird.

From Wake-Robin by Burroughs, John

Looking up, they beheld a crow blackbird pausing in midair, a few feet from the window.

From Wake-Robin by Burroughs, John

My first thought was: "It is only a crow blackbird."

From Birds of the Rockies by Keyser, Leander S. (Leander Sylvester)

I have myself seen a crow blackbird kill an English sparrow.

From Ways of Nature by Burroughs, John

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