any of several Old World gallinaceous game birds of the subfamily Perdicinae, especially Perdix perdix.
Chiefly Northern U.S. the ruffed grouse.
Chiefly South Midland and Southern U.S. bobwhite.
any of several other North American gallinaceous game birds.
any of various South and Central American tinamous.
any of various small Old World gallinaceous game birds of the genera Perdix, Alectoris, etc, esp P. perdix ( common or European partridge ): family Phasianidae (pheasants)
any of various other gallinaceous birds, esp the bobwhite and ruffed grouse
First recorded in 1250–1300; Middle English partrich, variant of pertrich, from Middle French pertris, variant of perdris, Old French perd(r)iz, from Latin perdix, from Greek pérdix
A partridge is a wild brown bird. What is that partridge doing in a pear tree in the song "The Twelve Days of Christmas"? Who knows, since most partridges live on the ground and hardly ever climb trees. Partridges are popular with European hunters, but there are very few partridges in North America, although some have been introduced as game birds. The word partridge comes from the Greek perdix and can ultimately be traced back to a Sanskrit word that mimics the whirring sound of a bird's wings.
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Hunters pay big money to enter the grounds, but they are given express instructions to focus on deer and partridge, and leave the felines well alone.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 30, 2026
After six seasons, five Christmas specials, three movies and a partridge in a pear tree, this is the end, until the next time writer and creator Julian Fellowes is struck with inspiration.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 12, 2025
The organisation said that was because gamekeepers are trying to protect their grouse, pheasants and partridge - and the profits they bring.
From BBC ● Oct. 22, 2024
While many cultures and individuals still preferred slender women and muscular men, others idealized being "plump as a partridge" as indicative of both health and wealth.
From Salon ● Dec. 27, 2022
“And there’s a partridge in the pear tree. Get to the point, Dad.”
From "The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian" by Sherman Alexie
It is rare to meet two co-stars whose chemistry is obvious before the interview has even begun but before I ask Millie Bobby Brown and Louis Partridge a single question, they are already laughing together.
From BBC ● Jun. 27, 2026
“You can annoy them as much as you want,” said Partridge.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 16, 2026
She didn't write her first true love song until 2024: So American – a punchy new wave cut, about falling head over heels for English actor Louis Partridge.
From BBC ● Jun. 10, 2026
A growing number of self-identified pastors such as Dale Partridge, Joel Webbon, and Martin Sedra have borrowed influencer-style tactics to draw in viewers.
From Salon ● May 4, 2026
Ben and Phoebe and Mrs. Cadaver and Mrs. Partridge are all coming to visit next month.
From "Walk Two Moons" by Sharon Creech
From the passenger seat, I often spotted rabbits fleeing down dirt roads and scampering under bushes, many joined by red-legged partridges.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 30, 2026
Weeks later, the disease was again confirmed at a commercial gamebird premises near Wrexham, containing more than 20,000 pheasants and partridges.
From BBC ● Sep. 11, 2025
There, they used to pick blueberries, hunt moose and partridges, and fish walleyed pike and trout.
From New York Times ● Jun. 17, 2023
The royal family’s 20,000-acre country estate in Norfolk, where Queen Elizabeth II enjoyed spending Christmas and shooting partridges.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 11, 2023
Its stomach had been stitched closed, and it was stuffed with partridges that in turn were stuffed with plums.
From "The House of the Spirits: A Novel" by Isabel Allende
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
