great blue heron
Americannoun
Etymology
Origin of great blue heron
An Americanism dating back to 1825–35
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.
Just then a great blue heron flew overhead.
From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 19, 2026
A great blue heron balanced on a dock and watched me; a cormorant eyed me curiously.
From Los Angeles Times • Oct. 7, 2025
On the worst days, a great blue heron lands in the backyard, and I become entirely unhinged.
From Seattle Times • Oct. 18, 2023
And the birds: great blue heron, green heron, tri-colored heron, great egret, cattle egret, snowy egret, red shouldered hawk, red-tailed hawk, Coopers hawk.
From Washington Post • Apr. 5, 2023
A great blue heron squawked at us for making too much noise and, indignant, took off from a nearby bank as we boarded my father’s boat.
From "Red Kayak" by Priscilla Cummings
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.
