kookaburra
Americannoun
noun
-
Also called: laughing jackass. a large arboreal Australian kingfisher, Dacelo novaeguineae (or gigas ), with a cackling cry
-
Also called: blue-winged kookaburra. a related smaller bird D. Leachii , of tropical Australia and New Guinea
Etymology
Origin of kookaburra
First recorded in 1885–90, kookaburra is from the Wiradjuri word gugubarra (imitative)
Vocabulary lists containing kookaburra
Australia and New Zealand - Introductory
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
Australia and New Zealand - Middle School and High School
Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!
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.
Through a combination of green pitches and a Kookaburra ball offering greater assistance to seamers, spin has played a diminished role in Tests in Australia over the past decade.
From BBC • Jan. 1, 2026
This is why James Anderson was pensioned off, why performances in domestic cricket were largely ignored and why parts of the County Championship were turned into an experiment with the Kookaburra ball.
From BBC • Dec. 7, 2025
However, five years ago a new version of the Kookaburra ball was introduced to Australian cricket, with consequences to batting averages and the length of Test matches.
From BBC • Nov. 26, 2025
However, lately a new version of the Kookaburra ball on sporty pitches has made movement just as valuable a weapon.
From BBC • Nov. 20, 2025
I venture to think no latter-day Australian who has grown up with our Kookaburra can have any but the kindliest of feelings for this feathered comedian.
From An Australian Bird Book A Pocket Book for Field Use by Leach, John Albert
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.
