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• robin
  robin

  noun

  any of several small Old World birds having a red or reddish breast, especially Erithacus rubecula, of Europe.
• Robin
  Robin

  noun

  a male or female given name: derived from Robert.

robin

¹ American  

[rob-in] / ˈrɒb ɪn /

noun

• robins
  plural

1. any of several small Old World birds having a red or reddish breast, especially Erithacus rubecula, of Europe.

2. a large American thrush, Turdus migratorius, having a chestnut-red breast and abdomen.

3. any of several similar thrushes of the New World tropics, not necessarily having reddish underparts, as T. grayi clay-colored robin, of Mexico and Central America.

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Robin ² American  

[rob-in] / ˈrɒb ɪn /

noun

1. a male or female given name: derived from Robert.

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robin British  

/ ˈrɒbɪn /

noun

1. Also called: robin redbreast. a small Old World songbird, Erithacus rubecula , related to the thrushes: family Muscicapidae . The male has a brown back, orange-red breast and face, and grey underparts

2. a North American thrush, Turdus migratorius , similar to but larger than the Old World robin

3. any of various similar birds having a reddish breast

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• robins
  plural

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Etymology

Origin of robin

First recorded in 1540–50; short for robin redbreast

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Explanation

The sweet-sounding, red-chested birds that symbolize the beginning of spring are robins. There are actually many different birds called robins, and while most share a reddish-orange breast, they're actually distantly related to each other. In the U.S., the bird we think of as a robin is officially the American robin, a kind of thrush. It's the most common land bird in North America, and it's famous for laying eggs very early in the spring — and singing at the crack of dawn. The robin's most deadly predator is the domesticated cat.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

robin Robin robins

There are also shortages in various components of AI infrastructure, said Schmidtke, describing a “round robin of scarcity.”

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 6, 2026

However, the naming of the robin as the UK's favourite bird did have its critics.

From BBC ● Mar. 10, 2026

Not even from dreaded rival Canada, which was missing injured star Marie-Philip Poulin, and fell to Team USA 5-0 in the opening round robin.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 13, 2026

The Chatham Islands Landscape Restoration Trust ran the campaign for the black robin and is seeking to create a third habitat for the birds to expand their biodiversity.

From Barron's

So I stood and listened, just for a minute, like a hungry robin listening for worms.

From "Black Swan Green" by David Mitchell

The emergence of myelin is given particular emphasis, being compared by cell biologist Robin Franklin to the “invention of microprocessors in computing.”

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 13, 2026

"We always have the possibility that there's going to be a mistake made when human beings are involved in executions," said Robin Maher, the executive director of the Death Penalty Information Center.

From BBC ● Oct. 12, 2026

"This event is the worst we've seen and unlike any other botched execution in the modern era," Robin Maher, the executive director of the Death Penalty Information Center, told The New York Times.

From Barron's ● Oct. 1, 2026

Robin Swanson, spokesperson for the Yes on 38 campaign, said that “lots of institutions would qualify for funds under this measure.”

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 1, 2026

When Robin is sure that the danger is contained, he comes back in, plops down in his bed and falls asleep.

From "A Place at the Table" by Saadia Faruqi and Laura Shovan

Donovan has taken full advantage of the home’s surroundings, regularly sharing videos of the garden on his Instagram account, including a January 2023 clip of a flock of robins visiting a birdbath on the grounds.

From MarketWatch ● Apr. 10, 2026

Market hunters used shotguns, nets and traps to fill traincars with passenger pigeons—as well as robins, woodpeckers, blackbirds and orioles.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 23, 2026

There's also a pattern that even though these are Christmas cards, forget the snowy steeples and robins, because royal cards rarely seem to have any signs of winter.

From BBC ● Dec. 20, 2024

With a catfish-shaped body and face, sea robins come in a wide range of colors: Red-brown and orange to subtler hues of silver and gray.

From Salon ● Sep. 27, 2024

A small flock of robins swooped out of the maple trees.

From "Chains" by Laurie Halse Anderson

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