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
There are glorious leaves, flowers and a small goldfinch in the bottom left corner.
From New York Times ● Jul. 29, 2020
Pantalaimon at her ear, a goldfinch now, whispered, “Be stupid and dim. Be really slow and stupid.”
From "The Golden Compass" by Philip Pullman
A field of unharvested sunflowers had attracted mixed flocks of birds, especially goldfinches and bramblings, before they were startled into the air by a sparrowhawk.
From BBC ● Oct. 13, 2026
At the farm, would-be consumers are mostly goldfinches.
From Seattle Times ● Aug. 18, 2023
“If we don’t have the right habitat for quail, then we probably don’t have the right habitat for a variety of birds and pollinators — from whippoorwills and goldfinches to monarch butterflies and bumble bees.”
From Washington Post ● Mar. 7, 2023
Or maybe it was the native sunflowers that fed bumblebees and goldfinches.
From New York Times ● Dec. 14, 2022
There will be no house finches, there will be no goldfinches, no Cape May warblers, not even a pigeon.
From "Sparrow" by Sarah Moon
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