flamingo

American  

[fluh-ming-goh] / fləˈmɪŋ goʊ /

noun

plural

flamingos, flamingoes

1. any of several aquatic birds of the family Phoenicopteridae, having very long legs and neck, webbed feet, a bill bent downward at the tip, and pinkish to scarlet plumage.

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flamingo British  

/ fləˈmɪŋɡəʊ /

noun

1. any large wading bird of the family Phoenicopteridae , having a pink-and-red plumage and downward-bent bill and inhabiting brackish lakes: order Ciconiiformes

2. 1. a reddish-orange colour

   2. ( as adjective )

      flamingo gloves

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Etymology

Origin of flamingo

1555–65; compare Portuguese flamengo, Spanish flamenco literally, Fleming ( flamenco ); apparently originally a jocular name, from the conventional Romance image of the Flemish as ruddy-complexioned

Example Sentences

Missing Cornwall flamingo appears to be living her best life in France.

From MarketWatch • Nov. 11, 2025

Leana Kuster shows a greater flamingo in the act of scratching its head with one of its unmistakably long legs.

From BBC • Aug. 26, 2025

“It was really rough for everybody,” said Gibbons, the flamingo keeper, who grew up in the Outer Sunset neighborhood and climbed the ranks through the zoo’s youth volunteer program.

From Los Angeles Times • Jul. 18, 2025

They paid £140 for a George Johnson 1908 Royal Worcester flamingo trinket box.

From BBC • Mar. 13, 2025

But what in the world was a flamingo theater, and how was she expected to fly there?

From "Book Scavenger" by Jennifer Chambliss Bertman