CANARY
Dictionary entry overview: What does canary mean?
• CANARY (noun)
The noun CANARY has 4 senses:
1. someone acting as an informer or decoy for the police
2. a female singer
3. a moderate yellow with a greenish tinge
4. any of several small Old World finches
Familiarity information: CANARY used as a noun is uncommon.
• CANARY (adjective)
The adjective CANARY has 1 sense:
1. having the color of a canary; of a light to moderate yellow
Familiarity information: CANARY used as an adjective is very rare.
Dictionary entry details
• CANARY (noun)
Meaning:
Someone acting as an informer or decoy for the police
Classified under:
Nouns denoting people
Synonyms:
snitch; stoolie; stoolpigeon; fink; canary; stool pigeon; snitcher; sneaker; sneak
Hypernyms ("canary" is a kind of...):
betrayer; blabber; informer; rat; squealer (one who reveals confidential information in return for money)
Meaning:
A female singer
Classified under:
Nouns denoting people
Hypernyms ("canary" is a kind of...):
singer; vocaliser; vocalist; vocalizer (a person who sings)
Domain usage:
colloquialism (a colloquial expression; characteristic of spoken or written communication that seeks to imitate informal speech)
Meaning:
A moderate yellow with a greenish tinge
Classified under:
Nouns denoting attributes of people and objects
Synonyms:
canary yellow; canary
Hypernyms ("canary" is a kind of...):
yellow; yellowness (yellow color or pigment; the chromatic color resembling the hue of sunflowers or ripe lemons)
Meaning:
Any of several small Old World finches
Classified under:
Nouns denoting animals
Synonyms:
canary bird; canary
Hypernyms ("canary" is a kind of...):
finch (any of numerous small songbirds with short stout bills adapted for crushing seeds)
Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "canary"):
common canary; Serinus canaria (native to the Canary Islands and Azores; popular usually yellow cage bird noted for its song)
Holonyms ("canary" is a member of...):
genus Serinus; Serinus (Old World finches; e.g. canaries and serins)
• CANARY (adjective)
Meaning:
Having the color of a canary; of a light to moderate yellow
Synonyms:
canary; canary-yellow
Similar:
chromatic (being or having or characterized by hue)
