canary

UK: /kəˈnɛəri/ US: /kəˈnɛri/ ,(kə nâr′ē)

Inflections of 'canary' (n): npl: canaries

WordReference Random House Learner's Dictionary of American English © 2026

ca•nar•y /kəˈnɛri/   n., pl. -ies. 

1. Birds [countable] a small, greenish yellow finch of the Canary Islands.
2. a light, clear yellow color:
   [uncountable] painted in canary and blue.
3. Slang Terms informer (def. 1).

WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2026

ca•nar•y  (kə nâr′ē), n., pl. -nar•ies, adj. 
n. 

1. Birds any of several Old World finches of the genus Serinus, esp. S. canaria (common canary), native to the Canary Islands and often kept as a pet, in the wild being greenish with brown streaks above and yellow below and in domesticated varieties usually bright yellow or pale yellow.
2. Also called canary yellow. a light, clear yellow color.
3. Slang Terms informer (def. 1).
4. Slang Terms a female singer, esp. with a dance band.
5. Wine a sweet white wine of the Canary Islands, resembling sherry.
6. Jewelry a yellow diamond.

adj. 

7. having the color canary.

• Latin Canāria (insula) Dog (Island), equivalent. to can(is) dog + -āria, feminine of -ārius -ary
• Spanish (Isla) Canaria
• 1585–95

Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::

canary / kəˈnɛərɪ/ noun ( -naries)

1. a small finch, Serinus canaria, of the Canary Islands and Azores: a popular cagebird noted for its singing. Wild canaries are streaked yellow and brown, but most domestic breeds are pure yellow
2. See canary yellow
3. a sweet wine from the Canary Islands similar to Madeira
4. a canary in the coalmine ⇒ something that acts as an early warning of a problem or danger

Etymology: 16th Century: from Old Spanish canario of or from the Canary Islands