oriole

American  

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

noun

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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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

“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

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

From Seattle Times • Sep. 7, 2023

“That’s a hooded oriole, getting nectar from an aloe plant,” Cornett said when I asked him to ID an eye-popping, bright yellow bird with a contrasting fan of black neck and wing feathers.

From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 4, 2021

Cole used the song of the Baltimore oriole as some of her thematic material in a beautifully orchestrated score that was witty, succinct and great fun to listen to.

From Washington Post • Nov. 20, 2016

While he sang, a second oriole swooped upward between two vanes of a frond to a small ball of fibers knotted close to the midrib.

From Jungle Peace by Beebe, William