goldfinch

[ gohld-finch ]

/ ˈgoʊldˌfɪntʃ /

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noun

a European finch, Carduelis carduelis, having a crimson face and wings marked with yellow.

any of certain related American finches of the genus Carduelis, as C. tristis, the male of which has yellow body plumage in the summer.

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Origin of goldfinch

before 1000; Middle English; Old English goldfinc.See gold, finch

Words nearby goldfinch

gold farming, gold fever, gold field, goldfields, gold-filled, goldfinch, goldfinny, goldfish, goldfish bowl, gold fixing, gold foil

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

How to use goldfinch in a sentence

The last of the nesters — goldfinches, bluebirds — are seeing off their offspring.
Bird lovers rejoice: The all-clear has been sounded on backyard feeders|John Kelly|August 24, 2021|Washington Post
He uses a variety of feeders, including hopper-style feeders suitable for many birds, tube feeders where birds like goldfinches cling and hummingbird feeders — also an option for apartment dwellers without a yard.
A concise guide to birding in your own backyard|Erin E. Williams|December 11, 2020|Washington Post
Best line: “No amount of straining for high-flown uplift can disguise the fact that The Goldfinch is a turkey.”
Hatchet Job of the Year 2014 Shortlist Announced|The Telegraph|January 19, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Donna Tartt built her latest novel around a 350-year-old portrait of a goldfinch.
Face to Face With ‘The Goldfinch,’ the Painting from Donna Tartt’s Novel|Malcolm Jones|December 1, 2013|DAILY BEAST

The Goldfinch proves Tartt to be a rara avis; her own species, willingly chained to her demanding muse.
Time Bandit: Donna Tartt’s “Goldfinch”|Liesl Schillinger|October 23, 2013|DAILY BEAST
Even the little goldfinch was impressed and looked on with interest.
In Nesting Time|Olive Thorne Miller
It was the ninth of February, and the goldfinch was calling, as he often did.
In Nesting Time|Olive Thorne Miller
The goldfinch in his cage scolded the stranger for alighting too near his door.
In Nesting Time|Olive Thorne Miller
Then Tchink, who said he voted for the fox so that the goldfinch should not have the throne.
Wood Magic|Richard Jefferies
A goldfinch perched on a dry dead stalk of wild carrot, a stalk that looked too slender to bear the bird.
The Hills and the Vale|Richard Jefferies

British Dictionary definitions for goldfinch

goldfinch

/ (ˈɡəʊldˌfɪntʃ) /

noun

a common European finch, Carduelis carduelis, the adult of which has a red-and-white face and yellow-and-black wings

any of several North American finches of the genus Spinus, esp the yellow-and-black species S. tristis

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