phoebe
1 of 2noun (1)
phoe·be ˈfē-bē 
: any of a genus (Sayornis) of the tyrant flycatcher family
especially : a flycatcher (S. phoebe) of the eastern U.S. that has a slight crest and is plain grayish brown above and yellowish white below
Phoebe
2 of 2noun (2)
Phoe·be ˈfē-bē
: artemis
Example Sentences
Recent Examples on the Web
BostonGlobe.com, 11 Sep. 2019 Parker River National Wildlife Refuge: Among reports were four Northern shovelers, a Eurasian wigeon, a ruddy duck, a pectoral sandpiper, three American woodcocks, an Eastern phoebe, and a Lapland longspur. BostonGlobe.com, 3 Nov. 2019 They are joined by birds such as phoebes and hermit thrushes who have the amazing ability to switch from insect diets to fruits and seeds. Cori Brown, baltimoresun.com/maryland/carroll, 7 Sep. 2019 Birds are adaptable and make nests in countless buildings in the city, but not every nesting site has a staff that takes a keen interest in the welfare of the phoebes and their chicks. Weldon Johnson, azcentral, 4 June 2019 In 2011, a U.S. attorney in North Dakota charged Hamm with a criminal misdemeanor after a Say’s phoebe got stuck and died in a pond of oil waste. Dino Grandoni, Washington Post, 12 Jan. 2018 In 1804, a young naturalist named John James Audubon tied silver threads to the legs of the eastern phoebes, tiny white-and-brown songbirds, that lived in a nest near his home near Philadelphia. Marina Koren, The Atlantic, 20 Sep. 2017 DEAR JOAN: Last summer a neighbor removed some evergreens and several displaced black phoebes found their way to our yard. Joan Morris, The Mercury News, 14 Mar. 2017 A phoebe is a kind of bird, and my little girl also happened to arrive 8 weeks before her due date, making her a true early bird. Liz Krieger, Town & Country, 10 July 2017 See More
Noun
Reports from Crane WMA in Falmouth included 2 American kestrels, 9 Eastern phoebes, 2 grasshopper sparrows, 18 Eastern towhees, 2 bobolink, 4 Eastern meadowlarks, a dickcissel, and 2 blue grosbeaks. BostonGlobe.com, 11 Sep. 2019 Parker River National Wildlife Refuge: Among reports were four Northern shovelers, a Eurasian wigeon, a ruddy duck, a pectoral sandpiper, three American woodcocks, an Eastern phoebe, and a Lapland longspur. BostonGlobe.com, 3 Nov. 2019 They are joined by birds such as phoebes and hermit thrushes who have the amazing ability to switch from insect diets to fruits and seeds. Cori Brown, baltimoresun.com/maryland/carroll, 7 Sep. 2019 Birds are adaptable and make nests in countless buildings in the city, but not every nesting site has a staff that takes a keen interest in the welfare of the phoebes and their chicks. Weldon Johnson, azcentral, 4 June 2019 In 2011, a U.S. attorney in North Dakota charged Hamm with a criminal misdemeanor after a Say’s phoebe got stuck and died in a pond of oil waste. Dino Grandoni, Washington Post, 12 Jan. 2018 In 1804, a young naturalist named John James Audubon tied silver threads to the legs of the eastern phoebes, tiny white-and-brown songbirds, that lived in a nest near his home near Philadelphia. Marina Koren, The Atlantic, 20 Sep. 2017 DEAR JOAN: Last summer a neighbor removed some evergreens and several displaced black phoebes found their way to our yard. Joan Morris, The Mercury News, 14 Mar. 2017 A phoebe is a kind of bird, and my little girl also happened to arrive 8 weeks before her due date, making her a true early bird. Liz Krieger, Town & Country, 10 July 2017 See More Word History
Etymology
Noun (1)
imitative
Noun (2)
Latin, from Greek Phoibē, from phoibē, feminine of phoibos
First Known Use
Noun (1)
1700, in the meaning defined above
Noun (2)
1567, in the meaning defined above
Kids Definition
phoebe
noun
phoe·be ˈfē-bē
: a small grayish brown bird that eats flying insects