grosbeak
Americannoun
noun
-
any of various finches, such as Pinicola enucleator ( pine grosbeak ), that have a massive powerful bill
-
any of various mostly tropical American buntings, such as the cardinal and pyrrhuloxia, the males of which have brightly coloured plumage
Etymology
Origin of grosbeak
First recorded in 1670–80; partial translation of French grosbec “large bill”; see origin at gross ( def. ), beak
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.
On the corner of West 149th Street and Amsterdam Avenue, an enormous grosbeak emerges above the treetops on the wall of an old movie theater, now a church.
From Washington Post ● Jul. 7, 2022
The area is home to woodpeckers like the red-breasted sapsucker and songbirds like the black-headed grosbeak, which whistles its warbled song in the shade.
From Seattle Times ● Jul. 15, 2021
“Why would something like this bother me?” she asked, gesturing toward the first eye-catching grosbeak impressions Ms. Jones had up.
From New York Times ● Oct. 24, 2017
The pine grosbeak, a robin-sized finch, summers in the boreal forest of northern Canada, except for a small band extending south along the Rocky Mountains where the birds remain year-round.
From Washington Times ● Jan. 31, 2015
The chipmunk’s shrill voice cut through the silence, and its claws scrabbled up the dresser as the cat half sprang—but recollected himself in time and slipped but of the door after the grosbeak instead.
From "The Incredible Journey" by Sheila Burnford
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.
