flamingo
Americannoun
noun
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any large wading bird of the family Phoenicopteridae , having a pink-and-red plumage and downward-bent bill and inhabiting brackish lakes: order Ciconiiformes
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a reddish-orange colour
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( as adjective )
flamingo gloves
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Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of flamingo
1555–65; compare Portuguese flamengo, Spanish flamenco literally, Fleming ( cf. flamenco); apparently originally a jocular name, from the conventional Romance image of the Flemish as ruddy-complexioned
Explanation
A flamingo is a large, long-necked pink bird that often stands on one leg. Florida is one of the few places in the U.S. to see flamingos, aside from zoos. Though very few real flamingos are native to North America, you can spot the pink plastic lawn ornament version in front yards from California to Maine. These distinctive birds get their coloring from their food, and when flamingos in zoos aren't fed shrimp, their feathers fade to a white shade, rather than salmon pink. Flamingo is derived from the Spanish flamengo, "flame-colored."
Vocabulary lists containing flamingo
Pink
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Birds, Birds, Birds, List 2
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This Week in Words: Current Events Vocab for May 31–June 6, 2026
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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.
“It’s the only issue that everyone in Florida can agree on,” said Dave Barry, the author and Pulitzer Prize-winning columnist who lives in Miami and recently joined Team Flamingo.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 23, 2026
The night before, Ukraine struck a military plant hundreds of miles east of Moscow using domestically produced "Flamingo" missiles, according to Kyiv.
From Barron's • Jun. 14, 2026
Flamingo Land first submitted plans to develop the site in 2018, but withdrew them the following year after a wave of negative reaction.
From BBC • Feb. 24, 2026
Flamingo Gardens is just 20 minutes from Fort Lauderdale Airport, making it an excellent pit stop before heading home.
From Salon • Feb. 2, 2026
I’m going to be a Fighting Flamingo one day, Grandma.
From "The Last Last-Day-of-Summer" by Lamar Giles
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
