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moa

American  
[moh-uh] / ˈmoʊ ə /

noun

  1. any of several flightless birds of the family Dinornithidae, of New Zealand, related to the kiwis but resembling the ostrich: extinct since about the end of the 18th century.


moa British  
/ ˈməʊə /

noun

  1. any large flightless bird of the recently extinct order Dinornithiformes of New Zealand See ratite

"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

Etymology

Origin of moa

Borrowed into English from Maori around 1810–20


Vocabulary lists containing moa

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.

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Colossal co-founder and CEO Ben Lamm acknowledged that a long road will have to be traversed to move from hatching baby chickens to resurrecting the moa by email.

From Los Angeles Times ● May 21, 2026

Various narrators explain that the “nearly mythological” moa inspires the imagination.

From Slate ● Aug. 8, 2025

A tussle with the moa in our streets?

From Washington Post ● Jun. 8, 2022

The researchers say these results suggest the Haast’s eagle killed moa and then ate their guts.

From New York Times ● Nov. 30, 2021

He was the moa, the servant of the high priest, and this was his sister whom he loved.

From White Shadows in the South Seas by Frederick O'Brien

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