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shearwater

American

[sheer-waw-ter, -wot-er] / ˈʃɪərˌwɔ tər, -ˌwɒt ər /

noun

any of several long-winged petrels of the genus Puffinus that appear to shear the water with their wing tips when flying low.

shearwater British

/ ˈʃɪəˌwɔːtə /

noun

any of several oceanic birds of the genera Puffinus, such as P. puffinus ( Manx shearwater ), Procellaria, etc, specialized for an aerial or aquatic existence: family Procellariidae, order Procellariiformes (petrels)

"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 shearwater

First recorded in 1665–75; shear + water

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.

See Examples For:

shearwater

Today, the island is also home to 200 sheep and around 30,000 breeding pairs of Manx shearwater birds.

From BBC ● May 21, 2026

Audubon’s shearwater, a seabird named for John James Audubon, also will get a new name.

From Seattle Times ● Nov. 1, 2023

Although it cannot be known for certain, it is possible that the shearwater was capable of escaping from the typhoon but instead chose to ride it out until the storm moved back over the ocean.

From Science Daily ● Oct. 25, 2023

You won't find European mink or Balearic shearwater on menus, neither would they be served en masse at a culinary festival.

From Salon ● Mar. 25, 2023

We at last attracted the attention of a short-tailed shearwater.

From "Life of Pi" by Yann Martel

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Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023