Classical Mythology. a Titan, daughter of Uranus and Gaia and mother of Leto, later identified with Artemis and with the Roman goddess Diana.
Astronomy. one of the moons of Saturn.
Literary. the moon personified.
a female given name.
classical myth a Titaness, who later became identified with Artemis (Diana) as goddess of the moon
poetic a personification of the moon
1690–1700, imitative; spelling by influence of Phoebe
First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English Phebe, Phebee, from Latin Phoebē, from Greek Phoíbē, feminine of phoîbos “shining, radiant, bright”; see Phoebus ( def. )
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.
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
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
One day last spring when I went to check on her, I found three raw and naked eastern phoebe nestlings tossed onto the porch floor.
From New York Times ● Jun. 2, 2023
I open the pantry door and the eastern phoebe flies off the nest.
From New York Times ● Jun. 2, 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
The phoebe clicks out his alarm cry and I tense.
From "On the Far Side of the Mountain" by Jean Craighead George
A two-story flamingo sculpture named Phoebe welcomes visitors at Tampa International Airport.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 23, 2026
Wareham's knock came after 50 from Phoebe Litchfield.
From BBC ● Jun. 13, 2026
Phoebe Bridgers finally announced her upcoming phone-free arena tour, and it includes two spooky nights in the Los Angeles area.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 5, 2026
Paddington Bear, Glastonbury chief Emily Eavis, actress Phoebe Waller-Bridge, singer Camila Cabello and composer Hans Zimmer also paid tribute to Sir David in pre-recorded birthday tributes.
From BBC ● May 8, 2026
George and his eight-year-old sister, Phoebe, had spent two months in England with their aunt Daisy.
From "I Survived the Sinking of the Titanic, 1912" by Lauren Tarshis
Before eastern phoebes lived so close to humans, they built their nests on cliffs.
From New York Times ● Jun. 2, 2023
“But warmer spring weather induces house sparrows to nest earlier in some areas, and eastern phoebes may have lost their usual seasonal head start,” he said.
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
“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
The migratory tide of robins, song-sparrows, phoebes, and other early birds was still moving northward; but multitudes had dropped out of line, having reached their haunts of the previous year.
From Nature's Serial Story by Roe, Edward Payson
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.
