killdeer

[ kil-deer ]

/ ˈkɪlˌdɪər /

noun

an American plover, Charadrius vociferus, having two black bands around the upper breast.

QUIZZES

Can You Ace This Quiz About “Compliment” vs. “Complement”?

Take this quiz to see if you really know the difference between “compliment” and “complement"!

Question 1 of 11

“Compliment” and “complement” had a shared meaning a long time ago, but today they are no longer interchangeable.

True

False

TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Also called killdeer plover.

Origin of killdeer

An Americanism dating back to 1725–35; imitative

Words nearby killdeer

kill with kindness, kill-joy, kill-time, killarney, killdee, killdeer, killeen, killer, killer app, killer application, killer bars

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020

Example sentences from the Web for killdeer

All along, the killdeer were darting about, calling loudly and piercingly.
Across the Continent by the Lincoln Highway|Effie Price Gladding
A killdeer sweeping the lake close two o'clock one morning awakened him.
The Harvester|Gene Stratton Porter
The Killdeer is so called on account of the cry which it utters; it resembles "kill-dee, kill-dee."
Endurance Test|Alan Douglas
The scout seized "Killdeer" in his left hand, and elevating it above his head, he shook it in triumph at his enemies.
The Last of the Mohicans|James Fenimore Cooper

The killdeer plovers are as noisy in the park as they are in an eastern pasture-field, and almost as plentiful.
Birds of the Rockies|Leander Sylvester Keyser

British Dictionary definitions for killdeer

killdeer

/ (ˈkɪlˌdɪə) /

noun plural -deer or -deers

a large brown-and-white North American plover, Charadrius vociferus, with two black breast bands and a noisy cry

Word Origin for killdeer

C18: of imitative origin

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