What does "canary" mean?
A small, usually yellow, finch (genus Serinus), a songbird native to the Canary Islands.
Canary
/kəˈnɛəɹi/ adj, noun, verb, slang
adj, noun, verb, slang ·Common ·Middle school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: A small, usually yellow, finch (genus Serinus), a songbird native to the Canary Islands.
- Grammar: canary is listed as adj, noun, verb, slang.
- Nearest alternatives: canary yellow, alto, aria singer, aureate.
- Useful contrasts: blue, colorless, late-stage.
- Usage evidence: A canary is a small bird, and people sometimes keep it as a pet.
How to use "canary"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "canary" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "canary" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "canary" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "canary" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
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- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "canary" is acting as adj, noun, verb, slang in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "canary yellow" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
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Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "canary", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Noun
- 1 A small, usually yellow, finch (genus Serinus), a songbird native to the Canary Islands. countable, uncountable
- 2 Someone connected with Norwich City Football Club, as a fan, player, coach etc.
- 3 any of several small Old World finches wordnet
- 4 Any of various small birds of different countries, most of which are largely yellow in colour. countable, uncountable
- 5 a moderate yellow with a greenish tinge wordnet
Show 14 more definitions
- 6 A female singer, soprano, a coloratura singer. countable, informal, uncountable
- 7 a female singer wordnet
- 8 An informer or snitch; a squealer. countable, slang, uncountable
- 9 someone acting as an informer or decoy for the police wordnet
- 10 A light, slightly greenish, yellow colour. countable, uncountable
- 11 A (usually yellow) capsule of the short-acting barbiturate pentobarbital/pentobarbitone (nembutal). countable, slang, uncountable
- 12 A yellow sticker applied by the police to a vehicle to indicate it is unroadworthy. Australia, countable, informal, uncountable
"The tendency in these types of situations (as far as I can see) is that because I don't think the act itself is illegal, the police will go through your vehicle systematically loking^([sic]) for anything wrong with it, to slap a canary on it (that's slang for an unroadworthy sticker) or present you with some other fine."
- 13 Any test subject, especially an inadvertent or unwilling one. (From the mining practice of using canaries to detect dangerous gases.) countable, uncountable
- 14 A value placed in memory such that it will be the first data corrupted by a buffer overflow, allowing the program to identify and recover from it. countable, uncountable
- 15 A change that is tested by being rolled out first to a subset of machines or users before rolling out to all. countable, uncountable
- 16 A light, sweet, white wine from the Canary Islands. countable, uncountable
"Ile to my honeſt knight ſir Iohn Falſtaffe, / And drinke Canary with him."
- 17 A lively dance, possibly of Spanish origin (also called canaries). countable, uncountable
"In an other corner, Mistris Minx, a marchants wife, that will eate no cherries, forsooth, but when they are at twentie shillings a pound, that lookes as simperingly as if she were besmeard, and iets it as gingerly as if she were dancing the canaries, […]"
- 18 A sovereign (coin). UK, countable, obsolete, slang, uncountable
- 19 A previously-issued ticket, retained by a ticket-seller, conductor or driver and resold to a subsequent passenger as a means of defrauding the transport company. countable, uncountable
"She had previously been sacked ... for "selling canaries" - a practice in which drivers resell used tickets to passengers and keep the fare for themselves."
Verb
- 1 To dance nimbly (as in the canary dance). intransitive
"but to jig off a tune at / the tongue's end, canary to it with your feet,"
- 2 To inform or snitch, to betray secrets, especially about illegal activities. slang
- 3 To test a software change by rolling out to a small set of machines or users before making it available to all.
Adjective
- 1 Of a light yellow colour.
- 2 That can be exercised on quarterly dates, a set time period (usually one year) after the issue date, and before the expiry date. not-comparable
"Canary callable bonds are a type of step-up bond that is a hybrid structure, having elements of both Bermudan and European calls."
Adjective
- 1 having the color of a canary; of a light to moderate yellow wordnet
Synonyms
All synonymsAntonyms
Example
"A canary is a small bird, and people sometimes keep it as a pet."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "canary"?
Common synonyms include: canary yellow, alto, aria singer, aureate, auric, baritenor.
How do you use "canary" in a sentence?
A canary is a small bird, and people sometimes keep it as a pet.
How do you pronounce "canary"?
Pronounced /kəˈnɛəɹi/.
Etymology
Etymology 1
From French canarie, from Spanish canario, from the Latin Canariae insulae (“Canary Islands”) (Spanish Islas Canarias); from the largest island Insula Canaria (“Dog Island" or "Canine Island”), named for its dogs, from canārius (“canine”), from canis (“dog”).
Etymology 2
From 1907, coined by the football club's then-chairman who was a keen breeder of canaries.
Etymology 3
Based on the geography of the Canary Islands, between Bermudan and European.