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

My right hip tends to thrust out and my right shoulder hikes closer to my ear, which explains why my right hip resists pigeon pose.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 19, 2026

A pigeon briefly stopped play during Atletico Madrid's 3-2 win over Real Sociedad with unflappable defender Jose Gimenez plucking the bird off the pitch and taking it to safety.

From BBC • Mar. 7, 2026

It emerged that a fungal infection often linked to pigeon droppings had been listed as a contributory factor in the death of a 10-year-old boy.

From BBC • Jan. 24, 2026

I just had to understand that for Patrick, moving a certain kind of person was the equivalent of me calling a pigeon Cheeky—it simply wasn't worth the money to him.

From "Me Talk Pretty One Day" by David Sedaris

Related Words

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