magpie

[ mag-pahy ]

/ ˈmægˌpaɪ /

Save This Word!

See synonyms for magpie on Thesaurus.com

noun

either of two corvine birds, Pica pica(black-billed magpie ), of Eurasia and North America, or P. nuttalli(yellow-billed magpie ), of California, having long, graduated tails, black-and-white plumage, and noisy, mischievous habits.

any of several related corvine birds.

any of several black-and-white birds not related to the true magpies, as Gymnorhina tibicen, of Australia.

an incessantly talkative person; noisy chatterer; chatterbox.

a person who collects or hoards things, especially indiscriminately.

Western U.S. a black-and-white cow or steer, as a Holstein.

QUIZ

WILL YOU SAIL OR STUMBLE ON THESE GRAMMAR QUESTIONS?

Smoothly step over to these common grammar mistakes that trip many people up. Good luck!

Question 1 of 7

Fill in the blank: I can’t figure out _____ gave me this gift.

who

whom

TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Origin of magpie

1595–1605; Mag Margaret + pie²

Words nearby magpie

Magnus Annus, Magnus effect, Magnus hitch, Magog, magot, magpie, magpie goose, magpie lark, magpie moth, M. Agr., Magritte

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use magpie in a sentence

It also often explores the relationships that corvids—a family of birds including crows, magpies, and ravens—develop with human beings.
How to befriend a crow|Abby Ohlheiser|October 31, 2022|MIT Technology Review
“I was sick of my life as it was,” Magpie remembers of the first half of the last decade.
Meet the Couple Who Just Set 5 Long-Distance Hiking Records|awise|January 7, 2022|Outside Online
She’s depressed and isolating herself from her loved ones, but things start to change for the better once an injured baby magpie named Penguin is fatefully brought into her life.
The True Story Behind the New Netflix Film Penguin Bloom|Annabel Gutterman|January 27, 2021|Time
Television is a magpie, and it will take back to its stuffed nest whatever shiny things it can find.
The Fascist Historian and Me|Guy Walters|January 12, 2014|DAILY BEAST

Instead, he was more of a magpie, listening to what came before and incorporating it into his own inimitable music.
J.J. Cale, Dead at 74, Was a Songwriter Beyond Compare|Malcolm Jones|July 30, 2013|DAILY BEAST
Turn Up The Trustafarian Chic: As Tory Burch said of her collection, it's "American prep meets magpie traveler."
6 Lessons From The Spring Runways: New York Fashion Week Spring Summer 2013|Isabel Wilkinson, Lizzie Crocker|September 14, 2012|DAILY BEAST
But the latter caught him by the coat sleeve and held on while she chattered like a magpie to the young college man.
The Campfire Girls of Roselawn|Margaret Penrose
Could that be the wild beasts of which the magpie had warned him?
Fifty-Two Stories For Girls|Various
"She doesn't believe you, anyhow," said Lionel to the magpie.
Fifty-Two Stories For Girls|Various
The meadowlark was given a pleasing voice so that his songs would make the magpie ashamed.
Prairie Smoke (Second Edition, Revised)|Melvin Randolph Gilmore
Harakka, the Magpie, sitting on her nest among her fledglings began to feel nervous.
Mighty Mikko|Parker Fillmore

British Dictionary definitions for magpie

magpie

/ (ˈmæɡˌpaɪ) /

noun

any of various passerine birds of the genus Pica, esp P. pica, having a black-and-white plumage, long tail, and a chattering call: family Corvidae (crows, etc)

any of various similar birds of the Australian family CracticidaeSee also butcherbird (def. 2)

any of various other similar or related birds

(often capital) a variety of domestic fancy pigeon typically having black-and-white markings

British a person who hoards small objects

a person who chatters

the outmost ring but one on a target
a shot that hits this ring

Word Origin for magpie

C17: from Mag diminutive of Margaret, used to signify a chatterbox + pie ²

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

magpie

Origin of magpie

Words nearby magpie

Words related to magpie

How to use magpie in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for magpie

Word Origin for magpie