penguin

American  

[peng-gwin, pen-] / ˈpɛŋ gwɪn, ˈpɛn- /

noun

Ornithology.

penguins plural

1. any of several flightless, aquatic birds of the family Spheniscidae, of the Southern Hemisphere, having webbed feet and wings reduced to flippers.

2. Obsolete. great auk.

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penguin British  

/ ˈpɛŋɡwɪn /

noun

1. any flightless marine bird, such as Aptenodytes patagonica (king penguin) and Pygoscelis adeliae ( Adélie penguin ), of the order Sphenisciformes of cool southern, esp Antarctic, regions: they have wings modified as flippers, webbed feet, and feathers lacking barbs See also emperor penguin king penguin

2. an obsolete name for great auk

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• penguins
  plural

Etymology

Origin of penguin

1570–80; origin uncertain; perhaps < Welsh pen gwyn literally, white head (referring to the great auk in its winter plumage); later misapplied to the Spheniscidae

Explanation

What's black and white and loves to eat seafood? A penguin! Penguins are flightless water birds, and the only place in the Northern Hemisphere where you'll find wild penguins is on the Galápagos Islands. If you live north of the equator, your interactions with penguins are limited to zoos and aquariums. Penguins are distinctive because of their contrasting black-and-white coloring, their size, and the fact that they walk and swim but don't fly. Their wings have, in fact, evolved to act as flippers in the water. You might think of penguins as cold-weather birds, and many do live in Antarctica, but most are found in more temperate areas.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

penguin penguins

They also found higher than expected deaths in penguin populations.

From BBC ● Jun. 18, 2026

This penguin decay is incredibly rare in the Standard Model: for every million B mesons, only one will decay in this manner.

From Science Daily ● May 26, 2026

It has created a series of hand-drawn illustrations of the penguin "to bring warmth, humour and personality to everything from our social media presence to brand campaigns and social impact work".

From BBC ● May 13, 2026

“It had an aura of roadside diner about it. … Everybody would see the giant penguin out there. I don’t think Burgess Meredith ever ate there, though.”

From Los Angeles Times ● May 12, 2026

“Ork?” said the penguins, pretending not to understand, and making remarks to each other in penguin language about Monsieur Duval.

From "Mr. Popper's Penguins" by Florence Atwater and Richard Atwater

During one ocean swim at Isabela Island, my travel companion Ofek emerged from the water to find a few tropical penguins floating beside him.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 13, 2026

The company also said it would stop breeding gentoo penguins at both centres.

From BBC ● May 29, 2026

Capybaras spend most of their time in the water—they’re sort of the penguins of the rodent world—so they can easily get entangled in that storm-drain trash.

From Slate ● May 27, 2026

How a kindergarten teacher became the accidental guardian of 200 king penguins.

From MarketWatch ● May 15, 2026

“Would you mind putting on your gloves again for just a minute, Mrs. Popper? I’d like you to start playing that ‘Military March’ again and let the penguins parade for a minute.

From "Mr. Popper's Penguins" by Florence Atwater and Richard Atwater