What does "magpie" mean?
One of several kinds of bird in the family Corvidae, especially Pica pica.
Magpie
/ˈmæɡˌpaɪ/ noun, verb, slang
noun, verb, slang ·Very common ·Middle school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: One of several kinds of bird in the family Corvidae, especially Pica pica.
- Grammar: magpie is listed as noun, verb, slang.
- Nearest alternatives: accumulator, adjutant bird, agreeable rattle, albatross.
- Useful contrasts: minimalist, spender.
- Usage evidence: To the crow family belong the raven, the rook and the magpie.
How to use "magpie"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "magpie" 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 "magpie" 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 "magpie" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "magpie" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- 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 "magpie" is acting as 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 "accumulator" 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.
Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.
Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "magpie", 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 One of several kinds of bird in the family Corvidae, especially Pica pica.
- 2 Someone connected with Newcastle United Football Club, as a fan, player, coach, etc.
- 3 long-tailed black-and-white crow that utters a raucous chattering call wordnet
- 4 A superficially similar Australian bird, Gymnorhina tibicen, in the family Artamidae.
- 5 Someone connected with Notts County Football Club, as a fan, player, coach, etc.
Show 10 more definitions
- 6 an obnoxious and foolish and loquacious talker wordnet
- 7 Someone who displays a magpie-like quality such as hoarding or stealing objects. figuratively
"Not only is Mr. Booker a voracious magpie (who does not always acknowledge the sources of his ideas), but he also turns out to be an annoyingly biased and didactic one."
- 8 Someone connected with Collingwood Football Club, as a fan, player, coach, etc.
- 9 someone who collects things that have been discarded by others wordnet
- 10 A fan or member of Newcastle United F.C. slang
- 11 Someone connected with the Western Suburbs Magpies, as a fan, player, coach, etc.
- 12 The third circle on a target, between the inner and outer.
- 13 A town in the City of Ballarat, central western Victoria, Australia.
- 14 A halfpenny. UK, obsolete, slang
- 15 A pattern resembling the pied plumage of a magpie. attributive
"Kitty and I were engaged. The next day I met those accursed “magpie” Jhampanies at the back of Jakko, and, moved by some passing sentiment of pity, stopped to tell Mrs. Wessington everything."
Verb
- 1 To mark with patches of black and white or light and dark. transitive
"The little rail-enclosed plots that lay between the pavements and the hotels were magpied with torn paper […]"
- 2 To steal or hoard (items) as magpies are believed to do. ambitransitive
"[…] she liked to be able to have a picturesque fact or two with which to support herself when she too, to hold attention, wanted to issue moving statements as to revolutions, anarchies and strife in the offing. And she had noticed that when she magpied Tietjens’ conversations more serious men in responsible positions were apt to argue with her and to pay her more attention than before...."
- 3 To talk idly; to talk about other people's private business. intransitive
"He knew how people were magpieing with their malicious chatter that she had committed the cardinal sin of believing love was permanent […]"
Synonyms
All synonymsAntonyms
Example
"To the crow family belong the raven, the rook and the magpie."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "magpie"?
Common synonyms include: accumulator, adjutant bird, agreeable rattle, albatross, all sorts, argala.
How do you use "magpie" in a sentence?
To the crow family belong the raven, the rook and the magpie.
How do you pronounce "magpie"?
Pronounced /ˈmæɡˌpaɪ/.
Etymology
From Mag, a nickname for Margaret that was used to denote a chatterer, + archaic pie (“magpie”), from Middle English pie, pye, from Old French pie, from Latin pīca, from Proto-Indo-European *(s)peyk- (“woodpecker, magpie”). Displaced native Old English agu (“magpie”) and Middle English aguster (“magpie”), whence English haggister.