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

See Examples For:

pigeon

They hung replicas of “predator” eyes in pigeon hotspots.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 27, 2026

Mr. Warrack describes removing an approximately 3-foot-deep layer of pigeon excrement from Rome’s Church of SS Vincenzo e Anastasio, “which revealed a multitude of squirming horrors that even Hieronymus Bosch never dreamed of.”

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 18, 2026

That happened in the 1914 storms, to the bridges criss-crossed by streetcars and railroads, and to the famous pigeon farm that stood at the Y where the Arroyo Seco joined the L.A.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 17, 2026

Similar to Diss, Norwich City Council has also been trying to curb a large pigeon population at the city's market.

From BBC ● Sep. 12, 2026

Axel’s never considered himself a pigeon, even if they do backflips and other interesting things.

From "A Bird Will Soar" by Alison Green Myers

Related Words

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