sandpiper

[ sand-pahy-per ]

See synonyms for sandpiper on Thesaurus.com

noun

any of numerous shore-inhabiting birds of the family Scolopacidae, related to the plovers, typically having a slender bill and a piping call.

Origin of sandpiper

First recorded in 1665–75; sand + piper

Words Nearby sandpiper

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use sandpiper in a sentence

Mr. Couch adds that this was the first specimen of the Common sandpiper he had had since he had been in the Islands.
Birds of Guernsey (1879) | Cecil Smith
The common sandpiper is about upon the shallows where the streams run swiftly, and the elegant water wagtails abound.
Rivers of Great Britain. The Thames, from Source to Sea. | Anonymous
Their appearance is very similar to the Least sandpiper, but they are slightly larger and the feet are partially webbed.
Western Bird Guide | Chester A. (Chester Albert) Reed, Harry F. Harvey, and Rex I. Brasher
Similar in appearance to the Red-backed sandpiper, but not so reddish above, and the latter has the black patch on the belly.
The Bird Book | Chester A. Reed
Otherwise very similar to the Least sandpiper, but with the breast and sides of neck ruddy in summer.
The Bird Book | Chester A. Reed

British Dictionary definitions for sandpiper

sandpiper

/ (ˈsændˌpaɪpə) /

noun

any of numerous N hemisphere shore birds of the genera Tringa, Calidris, etc, typically having a long slender bill and legs and cryptic plumage: family Scolopacidae, order Charadriiformes
any other bird of the family Scolopacidae, which includes snipes and woodcocks

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

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