goldfinch
Americannoun
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goldfinches
plural
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a European finch, Carduelis carduelis, having a crimson face and wings marked with yellow.
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any of certain related American finches of the genus Carduelis, as C. tristis, the male of which has yellow body plumage in the summer.
noun
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a common European finch, Carduelis carduelis, the adult of which has a red-and-white face and yellow-and-black wings
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any of several North American finches of the genus Spinus, esp the yellow-and-black species S. tristis
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of goldfinch
before 1000; Middle English; Old English goldfinc. See gold, finch
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:
His fateful choice that day — rescuing, or some might say stealing, a precious painting of a goldfinch — brings him solace.
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 14, 2025
A male and a female goldfinch, white-breasted nuthatches, slate-colored juncos, chickadees and tufted titmice were just some we could name.
From Salon ● Mar. 31, 2023
It also features symbols such as the goldfinch and poppy, which Palestinians call their national flower.
From Seattle Times ● Aug. 27, 2022
You want to have the whole beautiful arrangement, neat as a goldfinch nest, set down in front of you by one of the Musket Room’s servers, who will point out the dish’s highlights.
From New York Times ● Mar. 8, 2022
In his ear, Asta, in the form of a goldfinch, whispered, “They already knew about the nuns.”
From "The Book of Dust: La Belle Sauvage" by Philip Pullman
Many different birds frequent the area around Beth Hughitt’s Luray, Va., home: eagles, hummingbirds, orioles, bluebirds, blue jays, goldfinches, swallows, all kinds of woodpeckers — and mourning doves.
From Washington Post ● May 9, 2022
This past summer, hummingbirds, monarch butterflies and pairs of goldfinches zipped between the Jacobses’ garden and his.
From New York Times ● Dec. 3, 2021
The most chaotic birds overall are probably the goldfinches and their cousins, the pine siskins, Miller said.
From Seattle Times ● Nov. 28, 2021
Species that, decades ago, were rarely seen in gardens - like goldfinches and wood pigeons - are now regular visitors.
From BBC ● Aug. 27, 2021
There will be no house finches, there will be no goldfinches, no Cape May warblers, not even a pigeon.
From "Sparrow" by Sarah Moon
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.
