finch

noun

: any of numerous passerine songbirds (families Fringillidae, Estrildidae, Emberizidae, and Cardinalidae) having a short stout usually conical bill adapted for crushing seeds

Examples of finch in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web These flittering finches are adaptable and have learned to live in cities, towns and farmland. Karl Schneider, The Indianapolis Star, 4 Mar. 2024 Read More: Galápagos Tortoises Make a Comeback The islands also are home to numerous other plants and animals: penguins, marine iguanas and several species of birds, including those known collectively as Darwin’s finches. Stephen C. George, Discover Magazine, 22 May 2023 After a week the researchers brought the latter finches back into the light, restoring their motivation to sing. Olivia Ferrari, Scientific American, 12 Dec. 2023 In fact, scattered across this archipelago are around 18 separate species of finch, each inhabiting its own island and entirely isolated from the others. Sam Walters, Discover Magazine, 10 May 2023 The Role of Diet in Mammalian Evolution A species’ diet correlates with its anatomical features, as shown in Charles Darwin’s famous observation of varying beak sizes in Galápagos finches. Jack Knudson, Discover Magazine, 10 Jan. 2024 Their study, which began in 1973 and continues to this day, followed a population of the medium ground finch (Geospiza fortis) through a severe drought that began in 1977. Quanta Magazine, 2 Jan. 2024 Most of the finches’ postintervention songs showed a drop in frequency and a more limited vocal range. Olivia Ferrari, Scientific American, 12 Dec. 2023 Not unlike a frantic human whose voice creeps higher and higher, a stressed male finch calls with a higher frequency. Elizabeth Preston, Discover Magazine, 5 Jan. 2016

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'finch.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Middle English fynche, fynch, going back to Old English fink, going back to West Germanic *finki-, *finkja-, perhaps going back to an Indo-European echoic noun base *ping-, whence also Greek pínga "nestling" and, with mobile s, Greek spíngon "siskin," Old Norse spiki "tit," Swedish spink "finch" (in regional gulspink "yellowhammer" or "great tit"), dialectal English spink "finch" (perhaps borrowed from Scandinavian)

First Known Use

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of finch was before the 12th century

Dictionary Entries Near finch

Cite this Entry

“Finch.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/finch. Accessed 18 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

finch

noun
: any of numerous songbirds (as the sparrows, grosbeaks, crossbills, goldfinches, and buntings) that have a short stout bill adapted for crushing seeds

More from Merriam-Webster on finch

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