pewee

noun

pe·​wee ˈpē-(ˌ)wē How to pronounce pewee (audio)
: any of various small largely gray or olive-colored American flycatchers (genus Contopus)

Examples of pewee in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web Unusual species included a brown pelican, a Mississippi kite, a banded western wood-pewee, a black-throated gray warbler, a prothonotary warbler, and a summer tanager. Maria Elena Little Endara, BostonGlobe.com, 1 Oct. 2022 Cape Cod: a brown pelican on the Pamet jetty in Truro, a western wood-pewee banded at South Monomoy, a black-throated gray warbler at Sandy Neck in Barnstable, and a summer tanager at Fort Hill in Eastham. Maria Elena Little Endara, BostonGlobe.com, 1 Oct. 2022 Dead migratory birds -- which include species such as warblers, bluebirds, sparrows, blackbirds, the western wood pewee and flycatchers -- are also being found in Colorado, Texas and Mexico. Alaa Elassar, CNN, 14 Sep. 2020 There were also 22 double-crested cormorants, two bald eagles, two American kestrels, 11 Eastern wood-pewees, and 23 red-eyed vireos. BostonGlobe.com, 29 July 2019 The wooded areas hold Eastern wood-pewees, summer tanagers and red-eyed vireos. Taylor Piephoff, charlotteobserver, 4 May 2018 The migrant wildlife is gone, the pewees, vireos and wood thrushes all far to the south by now. Steve Hendrix, Washington Post, 23 Dec. 2017

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'pewee.' 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

imitative

First Known Use

1796, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of pewee was in 1796

Dictionary Entries Near pewee

Cite this Entry

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

Kids Definition

pewee

noun
pe·​wee ˈpē-wē How to pronounce pewee (audio)
: any of various small grayish or greenish brown birds that eat flying insects

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