pelican
noun
pel·i·can
ˈpe-li-kən 
: any of a genus (Pelecanus) of large web-footed fish-eating birds with a very large bill and distensible gular pouch
Examples of pelican in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Read Next California Hordes of pelicans take over a California beach.
—
Julia Daye, Sacramento Bee, 11 Apr. 2024
The pelican caught it with its beak, but the snack slid out of its exposed and damaged pouch.
—Andrew J. Campa, Los Angeles Times, 23 Mar. 2024
Find out which familiar sitcom stars, Academy Award winners, voice actors, and more play the collection of sea creatures (and a pelican) who inhabit this colorful Pixar flick.
—Madeline Boardman, EW.com, 11 Mar. 2024
Bowen is also the creator of the Wonderland Animals, a menagerie of fiberglass animals — including a turtle, pelican, elephant, camel, kangaroo, swans, horse, and lion — that have accompanied the Plaza bunnies since the 70s.
—Sidney Steele, Kansas City Star, 7 Mar. 2024
With its new settings and characters, including Oscar winner Ke Huy Quan as a pangolin leader of a den of thieves and Ronnie Chieng as a fish that lives in a pelican’s mouth, Kung Fu Panda 4 clearly aims to refresh the franchise.
—Frank Scheck, The Hollywood Reporter, 6 Mar. 2024
Three of the pelicans that were brought in with less severely fractured wings are recuperating at the hospital.
—Kc Baker, Peoplemag, 7 Mar. 2024
In moments of tension—when giant pelicans are swooping to eat the souls of unborn children, or even before Mahito enters the tower and is simply trying to sleep in his new home—visions of fire invade from all sides, menacing and oppressive.
—Nina Li Coomes, The Atlantic, 23 Feb. 2024
To arrive at their findings, the team studied feathers from over 340 species of flying and non-flying birds, from pelicans to penguins.
—Sam Walters, Discover Magazine, 12 Feb. 2024
Julia Daye, Sacramento Bee, 11 Apr. 2024
The pelican caught it with its beak, but the snack slid out of its exposed and damaged pouch.
—Andrew J. Campa, Los Angeles Times, 23 Mar. 2024
Find out which familiar sitcom stars, Academy Award winners, voice actors, and more play the collection of sea creatures (and a pelican) who inhabit this colorful Pixar flick.
—Madeline Boardman, EW.com, 11 Mar. 2024
Bowen is also the creator of the Wonderland Animals, a menagerie of fiberglass animals — including a turtle, pelican, elephant, camel, kangaroo, swans, horse, and lion — that have accompanied the Plaza bunnies since the 70s.
—Sidney Steele, Kansas City Star, 7 Mar. 2024
With its new settings and characters, including Oscar winner Ke Huy Quan as a pangolin leader of a den of thieves and Ronnie Chieng as a fish that lives in a pelican’s mouth, Kung Fu Panda 4 clearly aims to refresh the franchise.
—Frank Scheck, The Hollywood Reporter, 6 Mar. 2024
Three of the pelicans that were brought in with less severely fractured wings are recuperating at the hospital.
—Kc Baker, Peoplemag, 7 Mar. 2024
In moments of tension—when giant pelicans are swooping to eat the souls of unborn children, or even before Mahito enters the tower and is simply trying to sleep in his new home—visions of fire invade from all sides, menacing and oppressive.
—Nina Li Coomes, The Atlantic, 23 Feb. 2024
To arrive at their findings, the team studied feathers from over 340 species of flying and non-flying birds, from pelicans to penguins.
—Sam Walters, Discover Magazine, 12 Feb. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'pelican.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near pelican
Cite this Entry
“Pelican.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/pelican. Accessed 19 Apr. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
pelican
noun
pel·i·can
ˈpel-i-kən
: any of a genus of large web-footed birds with a very large bill having a pouch on the lower part used to scoop in fish for food
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