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pigeon

1 American  
[pij-uhn] / ˈpɪdʒ ən /

noun

  1. any bird of the family Columbidae, having a compact body and short legs, especially the larger species with square or rounded tails.

  2. a domesticated member of this family, as one of the varieties of the rock dove.

  3. Slang.

    1. a young, usually attractive, girl.

    2. a person who is easily fooled or cheated; dupe.

  4. Poker Slang. a card, acquired in the draw, that greatly improves a hand or makes it a winner.

pigeon 2 American  
[pij-uhn] / ˈpɪdʒ ən /

noun

  1. (not in technical use) pidgin; pidgin English.

pigeon 1 British  
/ ˈpɪdʒɪn /

noun

  1. any of numerous birds of the family Columbidae, having a heavy body, small head, short legs, and long pointed wings: order Columbiformes See rock dove

  2. slang a victim or dupe

"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
pigeon 2 British  
/ ˈpɪdʒɪn /

noun

  1. informal concern or responsibility (often in the phrase it's his, her, etc, pigeon )

"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
pigeon Idioms  

  1. see clay pigeon; stool pigeon.

Etymology

Origin of pigeon

1350–1400; Middle English pejon young dove < Middle French pijon < Late Latin pīpiōn- (stem of pīpiō ) squab, akin to pīpīre, pīpāre to chirp

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.

In addition, researchers found an extinct pigeon species closely related to Australian bronzewing pigeons.

From Science Daily • Mar. 26, 2026

By 1900, however, the passenger pigeon was functionally extinct.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 23, 2026

Local politicians and business representatives said a main source of the rodent problem is a laneway which is covered with pigeon excrement and hasn't been cleaned in several months.

From BBC • Jan. 20, 2026

"On the way to Miami," Dmitriev wrote in an X post, adding a pigeon emoji and attaching a short video of a morning sun shining through the clouds on a beach with palms.

From Barron's • Dec. 20, 2025

If he has to be a pigeon while he’s in school, it’s better he just does what the pigeons do—put his head down and push through the terrible sound.

From "A Bird Will Soar" by Alison Green Myers

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

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.