plover
Americannoun
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any of various shorebirds of the family Charadriidae.
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any of various similar shorebirds, as the upland plover and other sandpipers.
noun
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any shore bird of the family Charadriidae, typically having a round head, straight bill, and large pointed wings: order Charadriiformes
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any of similar and related birds, such as the Egyptian plover and the upland plover See crocodile bird
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another name for lapwing
Etymology
Origin of plover
1275–1325; Middle English < Anglo-French; Old French plovier rainbird < Vulgar Latin *pluviārius. See pluvial, -er 2
Explanation
Plovers are small birds that congregate on beaches in groups, running back and forth along the tideline. Most plovers are migratory, returning to the same places each year. You can see dozens of these little birds moving together in groups known as "congregations" searching the shoreline of oceans and lakes for tiny worms, bugs, and crustaceans. Depending on the specific species, plovers tend to migrate north to breed and then head south for the winter. The Latin root of plover means "rain," possibly referring to one species' migratory pattern, which coincides with a rainy season in Western Europe.
Vocabulary lists containing plover
The Turtle of Oman
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The Fire, the Water, and Maudie McGinn
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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.
Leonard said one of the main species the initiative aimed to protect was the ringed plover, a small coastal bird that nests directly on beaches and shingle.
From BBC • Mar. 28, 2026
It’s not too late to save the whooping crane, the red-cockaded woodpecker, the piping plover or any of the other 86 birds on the U.S.
From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 23, 2026
Conservation and management of the least Bell’s vireo, California least tern, and western snowy plover have resulted in significant increases to on-base populations of these species, according to the agency.
From Los Angeles Times • Sep. 28, 2025
The plover birds that peck the scraps from crocodile teeth without getting eaten — that’s symbiosis, right?
From Salon • Oct. 31, 2023
Holding her candle above her head, she crept toward the door and peered into the bright eyes of a golden plover.
From "Julie of the Wolves" by Jean Craighead George
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.
