mockingbird

[ mok-ing-burd ]

/ ˈmɒk ɪŋˌbɜrd /

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noun

any of several gray, black, and white songbirds of the genus Mimus, especially M. polyglottos, of the U.S. and Mexico, noted for their ability to mimic the songs of other birds.

any of various related or similar birds, as Melanotis caerulescens(blue mockingbird ), of Mexico.

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Did you ever collect all those state quarters? Put them to good use on this quiz about curious state monikers and the facts around them.

Question 1 of 8

Mississippi’s nickname comes from the magnificent trees that grow there. What is it?

The Sunflower State

The Evergreen State

The Magnolia State

The Mockingbird State

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Origin of mockingbird

1670–80, Americanism;mocking + bird

Words nearby mockingbird

mocker, mockernut, mockers, mockery, mock-heroic, mockingbird, mock moon, mockney, mock orange, mock pendulum, mock pennyroyal

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2021

Example sentences from the Web for mockingbird

We know that Mockingbird, played by Adrianne Palicki, will be making an appearance, as well as the Absorbing Man.
The Leaner, Meaner Season 2 of ‘Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.’|Jason Lynch|September 22, 2014|DAILY BEAST
My hunch is that “Mockingbird” was packed with pairings on purpose.
Game of Thrones’ Ep. 7 ‘Mockingbird’ Recap: Conscious Coupling (and Uncoupling)|Andrew Romano|May 19, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Your first film role was in To Kill A Mockingbird, which was a very important film in 1962 during the Civil Rights Movement.
Robert Duvall on His Storied Career, His New Movie, and Why He’s Ditching the GOP|Marlow Stern|March 13, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Danza assigned his students reading that included To Kill a Mockingbird, Of Mice and Men, and Julius Caesar.
Tony Danza on His New Book About Teaching, ‘Who’s the Boss,’ and ‘Twilight’|Ramin Setoodeh|September 14, 2012|DAILY BEAST

The Hunger Games is on the list (No. 3), as is To Kill a Mockingbird (No. 10).
Should This Woman's Books Be Banned?|Abigail Pesta|April 11, 2012|DAILY BEAST
Otherwise, we would have proceeded on Stemmons to Mockingbird Lane, which would have been the direct route to the airport.
Warren Commission (7 of 26): Hearings Vol. VII (of 15)|The President's Commission on the Assassination of President Kennedy
I could not find the mockingbird in song, though it breeds in the blue-grass counties.
Riverby|John Burroughs
Mimus polyglottos leucopterus (Vigors): Northern Mockingbird.
Vertebrates from the Barrier Island of Tamaulipas, Mxico|Robert K Selander
Another bird, the primavera, seems to be like our mockingbird, imitating the notes and cries of many other birds and animals.
In Indian Mexico (1908)|Frederick Starr
Thrasher and Mockingbird at Rattlesnake's Playground teach veneral cure.
Seven Mohave Myths|A. L. Kroeber

British Dictionary definitions for mockingbird

mockingbird

/ (ˈmɒkɪŋˌbɜːd) /

noun

Australian any American songbird of the family Mimidae, having a long tail and grey plumage: noted for their ability to mimic the song of other birds

a small scrub bird, Atrichornis rufescens, noted for its mimicry

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

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mockingbird

noun

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Origin of mockingbird

Words nearby mockingbird

Example sentences from the Web for mockingbird

British Dictionary definitions for mockingbird

noun