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

Ice loss in Antarctica, meanwhile, is threatening penguin populations on the frozen continent.

From Barron's ● Sep. 30, 2026

Antarctica's four-foot-tall Emperor penguin may be the best-known member of the penguin family, but it is far from alone.

From Science Daily ● Sep. 22, 2026

Except here, parents can bring their kids along for the festivities and check out a penguin exhibit or ride a roller coaster all in the same night.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 21, 2026

A wildlife park is celebrating the hatching of the first king penguin chick in the UK since 2014.

From BBC ● Aug. 21, 2026

“Gaw!” said the penguin, opening his red beak wide, as if he wanted to laugh at the policeman.

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

In April, emperor penguins were upgraded from "near threatened" to "endangered" by the IUCN, the global authority on threatened wildlife.

From Barron's ● Sep. 30, 2026

Emperor penguins rely on stable sea ice to live, hunt and breed and their chicks can perish if they fall in freezing water before developing waterproof feathers.

From Barron's ● Sep. 30, 2026

Bowie and Vianna have spent nearly a decade studying how penguins evolved and diversified.

From Science Daily ● Sep. 22, 2026

It’s not clear when the trafficked animals might join the roughly 12,000 turtles, frogs, octopuses, penguins, sharks and other sea creatures currently on public display.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 28, 2026

A gentleman wearing a clergyman’s collar suggested opening a window, so that the penguins could jump out.

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