plural canaries
1
: a Canary Islands usually sweet wine similar to Madeira
2
: a lively 16th century court dance
3
: a small finch (Serinus canaria synonym S. canarius) of the Canary Islands that is usually greenish to yellow and is kept as a cage bird and singer
4
slang
: informer sense 2
Examples of canary in a Sentence
a canary who was singing and giving up the names of some of the city's most notorious drug lords
Recent Examples on the Web
The other begins by recognizing that increasingly frequent and severe weather events are not outliers but warnings, as the canary in the coal mine.
—
Michael Sheldrick, Forbes.com, 1 June 2025
Vidal stared at Buckley during this outburst with the expression of a cat that has just swallowed a very large canary.
—Louis Menand, New Yorker, 26 May 2025
Many medical authorities view measles, which is especially contagious, as the canary in the coal mine, but pertussis cases may also be a warning, albeit one that has attracted far less attention.
—CNN Money, 14 Apr. 2025
In the book’s epilogue, a canary is given a piece of sugar after a funeral.
—New York Times, 25 Jan. 2025
See All Example Sentences for canary
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Michael Sheldrick, Forbes.com, 1 June 2025
Vidal stared at Buckley during this outburst with the expression of a cat that has just swallowed a very large canary.
—Louis Menand, New Yorker, 26 May 2025
Many medical authorities view measles, which is especially contagious, as the canary in the coal mine, but pertussis cases may also be a warning, albeit one that has attracted far less attention.
—CNN Money, 14 Apr. 2025
In the book’s epilogue, a canary is given a piece of sugar after a funeral.
—New York Times, 25 Jan. 2025
See All Example Sentences for canary
Cite this Entry
“Canary.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/canary. Accessed 10 Jun. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
canary
noun
ca·nary
kə-ˈne(ə)r-ē 
plural canaries
: a small usually yellow or greenish finch native to the Canary Islands that is often kept in a cage
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