macaw

American  

[muh-kaw] / məˈkɔ /

noun

macaws plural

1. any of various large, long-tailed parrots of tropical and subtropical America, noted for their brilliant plumage and distinctive light-colored facial patches: of the six macaw genera, Ara includes the most familiar and greatest number of species, while Cyanopsitta has just one species, C. spixii Spix's macaw, a small, blue macaw, now classified as possibly extinct in the wild.

---

macaw British  

/ məˈkɔː /

noun

1. any large tropical American parrot of the genera Ara and Anodorhynchus, having a long tail and brilliant plumage

---

Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• macaws
  plural

Etymology

Origin of macaw

First recorded in 1620–30; from Portuguese macao, macau, probably from macaúba from Tupi macahuba, equivalent to maca “palm” + ybá “tree”

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

macaw macaws

He bought an acre of his grandfather’s farmland with a $10,000 student loan, built a barn with an apartment and rescued a macaw named Cisco and umbrella cockatoo named Andrew to bring to children’s parties.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 2, 2026

But then Death visits — literally, in the form of a talking macaw — and Zora must confront the end of everything she holds dear.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 7, 2024

The animal is a parrot, a sociable macaw named Eureka.

From New York Times ● Oct. 30, 2023

Another attendee was Naldinho Kumaruara, 29, a spiritual leader wearing a crown of blue macaw feathers and a necklace made of snake bones, and who held a giant maraca in his hand.

From Seattle Times ● Aug. 7, 2023

With a great macaw call of BRRRUAW, he sprang up and flapped off into the distance, so that I could no longer see him.

From "The Ugly One" by Leanne Statland Ellis

Parrots and macaws that had outlived their owners squawked in a giant aviary.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 2, 2026

This region shelters not only migratory songbirds but also jaguars, tapirs, and scarlet macaws.

From Science Daily ● Nov. 22, 2025

These include African lions, tigers, gibbons, macaws, chimpanzees, parrots, goats, sheep, rabbits, reptiles and more.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 1, 2025

Blue-throated macaws Lily and Margot were on a routine flight when they flew out of their enclosure on Monday.

From BBC ● Oct. 24, 2024

With that precaution they tried to postpone the necessity of having to eat macaws, whose blue flesh had a harsh and musky taste.

From "One Hundred Years of Solitude" by Gabriel Garcia Marquez