shearwater

American

[sheer-waw-ter, -wot-er] / ˈʃɪərˌwɔ tər, -ˌwɒt ər /

noun

any of several long-winged petrels of the genus Puffinus that appear to shear the water with their wing tips when flying low.

shearwater British

/ ˈʃɪəˌwɔːtə /

noun

any of several oceanic birds of the genera Puffinus, such as P. puffinus ( Manx shearwater ), Procellaria, etc, specialized for an aerial or aquatic existence: family Procellariidae, order Procellariiformes (petrels)

"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

Etymology

Origin of shearwater

First recorded in 1665–75; shear + water

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.

Audubon’s shearwater, a seabird named for John James Audubon, also will get a new name.

From Seattle Times • Nov. 1, 2023

Over the 11-hour period during which this shearwater bird was tracked, it completed five full circular loops of 50-80 km diameter each and was transported a total distance of 1,146 km.

From Science Daily • Oct. 25, 2023

Other critically endangered species found in Europe include the European mink and the Balearic shearwater.

From Salon • Mar. 25, 2023

Marine ecologist Jennifer Lavers, head of the Adrift Lab, has been studying plastic debris consumption in this wild shearwater population for over a decade.

From Scientific American • Mar. 22, 2023

We at last attracted the attention of a short-tailed shearwater.

From "Life of Pi" by Yann Martel

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