pigeon

¹ American  

[pij-uhn] / ˈpɪdʒ ən /

noun

1. any bird of the family Columbidae, having a compact body and short legs, especially the larger species with square or rounded tails.

2. a domesticated member of this family, as one of the varieties of the rock dove.

3. Slang.

   1. a young, usually attractive, girl.

   2. a person who is easily fooled or cheated; dupe.

4. Poker Slang. a card, acquired in the draw, that greatly improves a hand or makes it a winner.

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pigeon ² American  

[pij-uhn] / ˈpɪdʒ ən /

noun

1. (not in technical use) pidgin; pidgin English.

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pigeon ¹ British  

/ ˈpɪdʒɪn /

noun

1. any of numerous birds of the family Columbidae, having a heavy body, small head, short legs, and long pointed wings: order Columbiformes See rock dove

2. slang a victim or dupe

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pigeon ² British  

/ ˈpɪdʒɪn /

noun

1. informal concern or responsibility (often in the phrase it's his, her, etc, pigeon )

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pigeon Idioms  

1. see clay pigeon; stool pigeon.

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Etymology

Origin of pigeon

1350–1400; Middle English pejon young dove < Middle French pijon < Late Latin pīpiōn- (stem of pīpiō ) squab, akin to pīpīre, pīpāre to chirp

Explanation

The birds you're most likely to see while strolling around a city are pigeons. In the wild, they typically eat grains and seeds, but in New York City, you might see them eating discarded popcorn, French fries — just about anything dropped by careless pedestrians. Pigeons have round bodies, short necks, and small beaks. These common birds are related to doves. Their feathers are mostly gray, but if you look closely at a pigeon you'll notice shades of green, blue, and white. The distinction between pigeons and doves is vague — often, the word dove simply means an all-white pigeon, though sometimes it refers to a smaller variety of bird. Pigeon is French, from a Latin root, pipio, "young, chirping bird."

Example Sentences

In addition, researchers found an extinct pigeon species closely related to Australian bronzewing pigeons.

From Science Daily • Mar. 26, 2026

Along with the passenger pigeon we exterminated the great auk, the Carolina parakeet, the Labrador duck and the ivory-billed woodpecker.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 23, 2026

One clay pigeon shooter who has dyslexia said he would not have been able to renew his licence since 2018 if it had not been for his wife.

From BBC • Jan. 9, 2026

"On the way to Miami," Dmitriev wrote in an X post, adding a pigeon emoji and attaching a short video of a morning sun shining through the clouds on a beach with palms.

From Barron's • Dec. 20, 2025

Maybe a pigeon would let Byrd go on and on outside while it bobs its head from side to side?

From "A Bird Will Soar" by Alison Green Myers

Related Words

• deceive
• discriminate against
• dupe
• exploit
• persecute
• pick on
• prey on
• sting