Standard Lemma guide

flycatcher

noun · 5 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • US: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • CMU ARPABET: F L AY1 K AE2 CH ER0 Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.

1

noun

Meaning 1

Any of many kinds of birds of the family Muscicapidae, of Africa, Europe, and Asia, that catch insects in flight; an Old World flycatcher.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

noun

Meaning 2

Any of many kinds of similar birds of various families, such as Tyrannidae (the New World flycatchers of the Americas), Tityridae, Stenostiridae, Monarchidae, Petroicidae, etc.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

3

noun

Meaning 3

A device for catching flies.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

4

noun

Meaning 4

large American birds that characteristically catch insects on the wing

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: New World flycatcher, tyrant flycatcher, tyrant bird

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: tyrannid

Narrower terms: kingbird, Tyrannus tyrannus, pewee, peewee, peewit, pewit, wood pewee, Contopus virens, phoebe, phoebe bird, Sayornis phoebe, vermillion flycatcher, firebird, Pyrocephalus rubinus mexicanus, cotinga, chatterer, scissortail, scissortailed flycatcher, Muscivora-forficata

5

noun

Meaning 5

any of a large group of small songbirds that feed on insects taken on the wing

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: Old World flycatcher, true flycatcher

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: oscine, oscine bird

Narrower terms: spotted flycatcher, Muscicapa striata, Muscicapa grisola, thickhead, whistler

History

Etymology

From fly + catcher.

Across languages

Translations

20 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Asturian: mosqueru — bird
  • Belarusian: валасянка (valasjanka) — bird
  • Catalan: papamosques — bird
  • Catalan: mastegatatxes — bird
  • Czech: lejsek — bird
  • Dutch: vliegenvanger — bird
  • Finnish: sieppo — bird
  • Finnish: tyranni — bird
  • French: gobemouche — bird
  • German: Fliegenschnäpper — bird
  • Italian: muscicapide — bird
  • Luxembourgish: Méckefänkert — bird
  • Romanian: muscar — bird
  • Russian: мухоловка (muxolovka) — bird
  • Russian: мухое́д (muxojéd) — bird
  • Inari-Sami: livkkár — bird
  • Northern Sami: livkkár — bird
  • Spanish: papamoscas — bird
  • Swedish: flugsnappare — bird
  • Welsh: gwybedog — bird
Real reading context

flycatcher in complete knowledge articles