How to Use calico in a Sentence

calico

noun
  • These prints also lent their name to calico cats.
    — Encyclopedia Britannica, 31 Mar. 2026
  • The calico, of course, is made from rum, coconut cream and orange juice.
    — Josie Sexton, The Know, 29 Oct. 2019
  • To be considered a calico cat, white, black and orange fur must all be present.
    — Faisal Kutty, Newsweek, 12 Mar. 2025
  • Her calico frock, worn to a stiffness, catches the wind, making her hands like blurred wings.
    — Elisa Gonzalez, Washington Post, 14 Apr. 2023
  • Blue lobsters, Goethel said, are not as rare as calico lobsters.
    — Washington Post, 9 May 2021
  • Only the hole left in the wall and the photos from the rescue tell the tale of what happened to the calico.
    — Joyann Jeffrey, PEOPLE, 1 Apr. 2026
  • Noel, the calico kitten, was about to go home with her new forever mother.
    — Ileana Najarro, Houston Chronicle, 6 Jan. 2018
  • Munoz goes on to note that one in every 30 million lobsters caught is a calico.
    — Moná Thomas, PEOPLE, 14 Oct. 2025
  • Some may even have a lovely Scottish brogue, and an ancient calico cat.
    — M. Carrie Allan, sacbee, 23 Jan. 2018
  • Last week, my prime-of-her-life and joy-of-my-heart calico cat caught a live vole and brought it into my office to chase around.
    — Joan Morris, Mercury News, 6 Apr. 2026
  • This sweet, 3-year-old calico was found as a stray during a snowstorm and has been all about warm hearts ever since.
    — Arkansas Online, 8 Mar. 2026
  • My dear friend’s calico, Poppy, has developed a growth above her paw.
    — Joan Morris, Mercury News, 16 Mar. 2026
  • Except my tuxedo is younger and the one following my calico around to her dismay.
    — Thomas G. Moukawsher, MSNBC Newsweek, 25 Apr. 2025
  • Sora, our shy calico, also a rescue, grew even more reclusive.
    — Los Angeles Times, 4 Oct. 2021
  • In the winter months, shelling is very popular for seekers of calico clams, cockles, and smoothed sea glass.
    — Amy Aumick, OrlandoSentinel.com, 7 May 2018
  • The common hamster, as the wild species is known, is about the size and shape of a sweet potato, with calico fur, beady dark eyes and half-moon ears.
    — Ben Crair, Smithsonian, 21 Feb. 2018
  • This beautiful 3-year-old calico is more than ready to settle down in a permanent home.
    — The Republic, The Arizona Republic, 9 Dec. 2022
  • Photos shared of the cats show that the mother is an adult tortoiseshell, and the kittens are orange, black and calico.
    — Charlotte Phillipp, People.com, 20 Mar. 2025
  • Lucky Bea is a real beauty — a calico with outstanding deep gold and black stripes and touches of white.
    — The Arizona Republic, 4 Sep. 2021
  • Our artwork isn’t made from what the children grew out of, or the salvageable portions of threadbare calicoes.
    — Murr Brewster, The Christian Science Monitor, 24 July 2024
  • As a row of women bicycled their legs in the air, tiny calico Blondi sat quietly to watch wide eyed.
    — Amy McRary, USA TODAY, 27 June 2017
  • The research also explains why tortoiseshell and calico cats tend to be females.
    — Rob Reddick, WIRED, 31 Dec. 2024
  • Face masks aren’t authentic to the 19th century, even if they are made of calico or homespun.
    — Joanne Y. Cleaver, chicagotribune.com, 8 Nov. 2020
  • Both cats are considered to be of the dominant calico Persian breed.
    — Shafiq Najib, PEOPLE.com, 3 Apr. 2022
  • The calico cat is first startled awake in the morning, and by the afternoon it can be seen standing up and meowing at passersby.
    — CNN, 6 July 2021
  • Instead, most female cats with orange fur have patchy patterns — calico or tortoiseshell — that may include black and white.
    — Amanda Schupak, CNN Money, 23 May 2025
  • Leopard crab The leopard crab, also known as a calico crab, has spots similar to leopard’s.
    — Liz Langley, National Geographic, 7 Aug. 2019
  • Miley Cyrus’ stark blond streaks are beginning to toe the line of the calico trend, without the vibrant pops of amber and dark brown.
    — Kaleigh Werner, Footwear News, 3 Sep. 2019
  • The dilute tortoiseshell calico is a rescue cat who has experienced a lot in her five years on Earth.
    — Kelli Bender, Peoplemag, 31 Jan. 2024
  • Meet Zia, my dilute calico who enjoys chasing droplets of water in the tub and lying flat on her back, like a fluffy rug in a log cabin.
    — Deborah Vankin, Los Angeles Times, 14 Aug. 2024

Some of these examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'calico.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

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