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grebe

American

[greeb] / grib /

noun

any diving bird of the family Podicipedidae, related to the loons, but having a rudimentary tail and lobate rather than webbed toes.

grebe British

/ ɡriːb /

noun

any aquatic bird, such as Podiceps cristatus ( great crested grebe ), of the order Podicipediformes, similar to the divers but with lobate rather than webbed toes and a vestigial tail

"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 grebe

First recorded in 1760–70, grebe is from the French word grèbe < ?

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:

grebe

Officials are caring for a common loon and a western grebe that were recovered with oil on their bodies.

From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 11, 2024

In the 1980s the New Zealand population of the Australasian crested grebe was at a precipitously low number of roughly 200 birds.

From Salon ● Nov. 15, 2023

A diving waterbird called the eared grebe, for example, needs 28,000 adult brine shrimp each day to survive.

From Science Magazine ● Sep. 9, 2022

The two flooded quarries are now a haven for local wildlife, attracting large flocks of waterfowl, including swans, mallards and the great crested grebe.

From BBC ● May 6, 2013

As he spoke he bobbed and dipped like a dabchick or little grebe.

From "The Invention of Science" by David Wootton

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