goldfinch
Americannoun
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a European finch, Carduelis carduelis, having a crimson face and wings marked with yellow.
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any of certain related American finches of the genus Carduelis, as C. tristis, the male of which has yellow body plumage in the summer.
noun
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a common European finch, Carduelis carduelis, the adult of which has a red-and-white face and yellow-and-black wings
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any of several North American finches of the genus Spinus, esp the yellow-and-black species S. tristis
Etymology
Origin of goldfinch
before 1000; Middle English; Old English goldfinc. See gold, finch
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.
A male and a female goldfinch, white-breasted nuthatches, slate-colored juncos, chickadees and tufted titmice were just some we could name.
From Salon • Mar. 31, 2023
He also cited a famous photograph of Pius XII with a goldfinch perched on his finger.
From New York Times • Jan. 6, 2022
She showed me images of a wren nesting in a gourd, a tree frog ensconced in an orchid basket, a goldfinch taking nesting material she put out and a hummingbird supping from a canna flower.
From Washington Post • Jul. 20, 2021
Like the goldfinch itself, the movie feels tethered and trapped; it wants to fly, but it can’t.
From Seattle Times • Sep. 11, 2019
“Well?’ she whispered, and he became a goldfinch on her shoulder.
From "The Golden Compass" by Philip Pullman
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.
