oriole

American  

[awr-ee-ohl, ohr-] / ˈɔr iˌoʊl, ˈoʊr- /

noun

orioles plural

1. any of several usually brightly colored, passerine birds of the family Oriolidae, of the Old World.

2. any of several brightly colored passerine birds of the family Icteridae, of the New World.

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oriole British  

/ ˈɔːrɪˌəʊl /

noun

1. any songbird of the mainly tropical Old World family Oriolidae, such as Oriolus oriolus ( golden oriole ), having a long pointed bill and a mostly yellow-and-black plumage

2. any American songbird of the family Icteridae, esp those of the genus Icterus, such as the Baltimore oriole, with a typical male plumage of black with either orange or yellow

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• orioles
  plural

Etymology

Origin of oriole

1770–80; < French oriol, Old French < Medieval Latin oriolus, variant of Latin aureolus golden, equivalent to aure ( us ) golden (derivative of aurum gold) + -olus -ole ¹

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

oriole orioles

“I sometimes find it hard to enjoy a park hang with friends, because I’m hearing an oriole up above. So, in a way, it’s almost become debilitating and distracting.”

From Salon ● Jul. 29, 2025

The Scott’s oriole, a black-and-yellow bird inhabiting the Southwest and Mexico, will also receive a new moniker, which will sever ties to the U.S.

From New York Times ● Nov. 1, 2023

Chimney swift, northern flicker, fish crow, killdeer, Baltimore oriole and gray catbird among them.

From Seattle Times ● Sep. 7, 2023

Then, the car dealer rolled up his sleeve to show me a stunning tattoo of an oriole on his upper arm — a beautiful bird, but a heartbreaking symbol.

From Washington Post ● Sep. 6, 2021

There are the same many gabled, lofty houses, with oriole windows that open outward.

From Great Opera Stories Taken from Original Sources in Old German by Bender, Millicent Schwab

Market hunters used shotguns, nets and traps to fill traincars with passenger pigeons—as well as robins, woodpeckers, blackbirds and orioles.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 23, 2026

There's also some evidence that an animal's diet can trigger the condition in some species, such as Baltimore orioles.

From National Geographic ● Feb. 12, 2024

Fountains spout, hummingbirds and orioles dart and mountains rise in the background.

From Seattle Times ● Oct. 31, 2023

“You hear orioles in the mountains behind us, and a stream runs through,” she said.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 16, 2021

There were no insects singing, there were no catbirds, or orioles, or vireos, or robins.

From "My Side of the Mountain" by Jean Craighead George