kiwi
Americannoun
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any of several flightless, ratite birds of the genus Apteryx, of New Zealand, allied to the extinct moas.
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Also called Chinese gooseberry. the egg-sized, edible berry of the Chinese gooseberry, having fuzzy brownish skin and slightly tart green flesh.
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Slang.
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a member of an air service, as in World War I, who is confined to ground duty.
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a former pilot or member of a flight crew.
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Informal. a New Zealander.
noun
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any nocturnal flightless New Zealand bird of the genus Apteryx, having a long beak, stout legs, and weakly barbed feathers: order Apterygiformes See ratite
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short for kiwi fruit
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informal a New Zealander
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of kiwi
Borrowed into English from Maori around 1825–35
Explanation
A kiwi is a sweet fruit that's originally from China but today is most often grown in New Zealand. See that little green fruit with tiny edible seeds in your fruit salad? It's kiwi! New Zealanders use the word kiwi for a chicken-sized, flightless bird, or sometimes as a nickname for a person from New Zealand. The small, fuzzy-skinned fruit that North Americans call kiwi is known as either kiwifruit or Chinese gooseberry in New Zealand. The word kiwi first referred to the bird, and it comes from Maori.
Vocabulary lists containing kiwi
Amazing Animals, List 1
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Australia and New Zealand - Introductory
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Australia and New Zealand - Middle School and High School
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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:
Brayen is allergic to dairy, banana, pineapple, peas, green beans, wheat, egg, soya, nuts and peanuts, kiwi, root vegetables and pea protein.
From BBC ● Mar. 20, 2026
Key exports from India include basmati rice, sugar, fresh fruits and pharmaceuticals, while major imports include pistachios, apples, kiwi and dates.
From Barron's ● Jan. 13, 2026
Before humans, flightless birds like the kākāpō and kiwi thrived.
From Slate ● Aug. 8, 2025
Or maybe they just have an effective rebrand, as did the kiwi — formerly called the Chinese gooseberry.
From Salon ● Aug. 14, 2024
He's still holding the kiwi water and cookies I brought.
From "Starfish" by Akemi Dawn Bowman
Instead, add a handful of berries, kiwis, or other fruits rich in fiber and antioxidants.
From MarketWatch ● Jun. 21, 2026
"Be sure to get adequate protein and include foods rich in vitamin C like strawberries, kiwis, red bell peppers, and citrus fruits."
From Science Daily ● Jan. 29, 2026
“Let’s bring them back. You want kiwis? Bring them back.”
From Salon ● May 15, 2025
Another project has reintroduced kiwis to the hills around Wellington after a trapping campaign reduced predator numbers.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 5, 2024
She threw a handful of kiwis and a few peaches into a paper bag and insisted I take them.
From "The Kite Runner" by Khaled Hosseini
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.
