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Synonyms

plover

American  
[pluhv-er, ploh-ver] / ˈplʌv ər, ˈploʊ vər /

noun

  1. any of various shorebirds of the family Charadriidae.

  2. any of various similar shorebirds, as the upland plover and other sandpipers.


plover British  
/ ˈplʌvə /

noun

  1. any shore bird of the family Charadriidae, typically having a round head, straight bill, and large pointed wings: order Charadriiformes

  2. any of similar and related birds, such as the Egyptian plover and the upland plover See crocodile bird

  3. another name for lapwing

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of plover

1275–1325; Middle English < Anglo-French; Old French plovier rainbird < Vulgar Latin *pluviārius. See pluvial, -er 2

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

It’s not too late to save the whooping crane, the red-cockaded woodpecker, the piping plover or any of the other 86 birds on the U.S.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 23, 2026

Four UK shorebirds - the grey plover, dunlin, turnstone and curlew sandpiper - are becoming more endangered on the red list.

From BBC • Oct. 28, 2024

An unoiled, but injured, snowy plover that was captured also died.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 11, 2024

This guy birds solely by ear, this guy in the Rockaways who took it upon himself just as a volunteer to save the piping plover out in the Rockaways.

From Salon • Jul. 19, 2023

If a gust of wind swept the waste, I looked up, fearing it was the rush of a bull; if a plover whistled, I imagined it a man.

From "Jane Eyre" by Charlotte Brontë