hummingbird

noun

hum·​ming·​bird ˈhə-miŋ-ˌbərd How to pronounce hummingbird (audio)
: any of a family (Trochilidae) of tiny brightly colored nonpasserine American birds related to the swifts that have a very slender bill and an extensible tongue for sipping nectar and that usually hover rather than perch when feeding

Illustration of hummingbird

Illustration of hummingbird

Examples of hummingbird in a Sentence

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This superb wordless sequence — the set designer is Beowulf Boritt; the movement director is Lorenzo Pisoni, the lights are by Allen Lee Hughes — reassures us that a show about a guy in a chair will move like a hummingbird. — New York Times, 23 Oct. 2026 Exclusively Costa Rican hummingbird species zip through the gardens. — Alexandra Marvar, Vogue, 20 Oct. 2026 Cambria Wells, the center’s education and outreach manager, recalls a hummingbird that was similarly wrapped in webbing and didn’t make it. — Katie Koschalk, Scientific American, 16 Oct. 2026 Edgar-Jones was later photographed in a graphic t-shirt featuring an airbrushed hummingbird drinking nectar from an hibiscus flower. — Erin Wisti, Footwear News, 12 Oct. 2026 See All Example Sentences for hummingbird

Word History

First Known Use

1637, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of hummingbird was in 1637

Phrases Containing hummingbird

Rhymes for hummingbird

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Browse Nearby Words

hummer
hummingbird
hummingbird's trumpet
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Cite this Entry

“Hummingbird.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/hummingbird. Accessed 1 Nov. 2026.

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Kids Definition

hummingbird

noun
hum·​ming·​bird ˈhəm-iŋ-ˌbərd How to pronounce hummingbird (audio)
: any of numerous tiny brightly colored American birds related to the swifts and having narrow swiftly beating wings, a slender bill, and a long tongue for sipping nectar

More from Merriam-Webster on hummingbird

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about hummingbird

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