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• phoebe
  phoebe

  noun

  any of several small American flycatchers of the genus Sayornis, especially S. phoebe, of eastern North America.
• Phoebe
  Phoebe

  noun

  a Titan, daughter of Uranus and Gaia and mother of Leto, later identified with Artemis and with the Roman goddess Diana.

phoebe

¹ American  

[fee-bee] / ˈfi bi /

noun

• phoebes
  plural

1. any of several small American flycatchers of the genus Sayornis, especially S. phoebe, of eastern North America.

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Phoebe ² American  

[fee-bee] / ˈfi bi /

noun

1. Classical Mythology. a Titan, daughter of Uranus and Gaia and mother of Leto, later identified with Artemis and with the Roman goddess Diana.

2. Astronomy. one of the moons of Saturn.

3. Literary. the moon personified.

4. a female given name.

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Phoebe ¹ British  

/ ˈfiːbɪ /

noun

1. classical myth a Titaness, who later became identified with Artemis (Diana) as goddess of the moon

2. poetic a personification of the moon

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Phoebe ² British  

/ ˈfiːbɪ /

noun

1. the outermost satellite of the planet Saturn. It has retrograde motion and a dark surface

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phoebe ³ British  

/ ˈfiːbɪ /

noun

1. any of several greyish-brown North American flycatchers of the genus Sayornis, such as S. phoebe ( eastern phoebe )

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• phoebes
  plural

Etymology

Origin of phoebe¹

1690–1700, imitative; spelling by influence of Phoebe

Origin of Phoebe²

First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English Phebe, Phebee, from Latin Phoebē, from Greek Phoíbē, feminine of phoîbos “shining, radiant, bright”; see Phoebus ( def. ) 

Explanation

Phoebes are small songbirds that belong to the tyrant flycatcher family. They are found in North America, and most phoebes have grayish-brown feathers and short, pointed bills they use to catch insects. Birds in the tyrant flycatcher family are so called because they are surprisingly territorial for such small birds. Phoebes boldly defend their hunting perches and nesting sites, chasing away intruders, calling loudly and repeatedly to warn rivals, and dive-bombing predators. Phoebes perch on fence posts, branches, or ledges, wagging their tails and watching for flying insects to eat. They make short, darting flights to catch them. Their name comes from their raspy, two-note call, which sounds like "fee-bee," and was originally spelled phebe.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

phoebe Phoebe phoebes

They also recognized acorn woodpeckers, a California towhee, dozens of turkey vultures circling overhead, a dark-eyed junco, a mockingbird, an Anna’s hummingbird and a black phoebe.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 11, 2023

It was, she explained from behind a pair of binoculars, her first sighting of a bird called a black phoebe, which normally ranges no closer to Puget Sound than Southern Oregon.

From Washington Times ● Apr. 2, 2017

In 2011 the Fish and Wildlife Service convinced the Justice Department to file criminal indictments against three oil companies working in North Dakota’s Bakken field for inadvertently killing six ducks and one phoebe.

From The Wall Street Journal ● May 15, 2016

The calls of an Eastern phoebe resonated through the sober woods; it was still winter in most ways.

From New York Times ● Apr. 18, 2015

The phoebe clicks out his alarm cry and I tense.

From "On the Far Side of the Mountain" by Jean Craighead George

Leset founder Lili Chemla and designer Phoebe Little join forces to create the brand’s first L.A. store, marking its second permanent retail location.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 1, 2026

Something new to listen to: Six years ago, indie rocker Phoebe Bridgers’ last solo album became one of the defining records of the decade.

From Slate ● Aug. 14, 2026

I remember Phoebe Waller-Bridge once said something about why people connected to the Hot Priest so much in Fleabag.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 3, 2026

“It’s hard to find things that are not made of plastic,” says Phoebe Stapleton, an associate professor in the department of pharmacology and toxicology at the Ernest Mario School of Pharmacy at Rutgers University.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 17, 2026

George started to feel calmer with Phoebe close to him.

From "I Survived the Sinking of the Titanic, 1912" by Lauren Tarshis

“Eastern phoebes have to regroup and find safer nesting sites,” Mulvihill said, “preferably forested settings near streams, where they breed naturally.”

From New York Times ● Jun. 2, 2023

Before eastern phoebes lived so close to humans, they built their nests on cliffs.

From New York Times ● Jun. 2, 2023

“If bluebirds and eastern phoebes have an enemy, it is we humans, not the house sparrows we brought here.”

From New York Times ● Jun. 2, 2023

Eastern phoebes have the distinction of being the first bird ever banded, in 1804 by John James Audubon himself.

From New York Times ● Jun. 2, 2023

At an abandoned limestone quarry one spring I discovered the nest of a pair of phoebes.

From Our Bird Comrades by Leander S. (Leander Sylvester) Keyser