Standard Lemma guide

killdeer

noun · 2 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.

  • General-American: /ˈkɪldɪɹ/
  • Received-Pronunciation: /ˈkɪldɪə/

1

noun

Meaning 1

A North American plover (Charadrius vociferus) with a distinctive cry and territorial behavior that includes feigning injury to attract predators and spare the young in the nest.

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

American plover of inland waters and fields having a distinctive cry

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: kildeer, killdeer plover, Charadrius vociferus

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: plover

History

Etymology

Imitative of the bird's call.

Across languages

Translations

15 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Western Apache: tábąą dijágé — plover
  • Catalan: corriol cua-roig — plover
  • Dutch: killdeerplevier — plover
  • Finnish: amerikantylli — plover
  • French: pluvier kildir — plover
  • German: Keilschwanz-Regenpfeifer — plover
  • Irish: feadóg ghlórach — plover
  • Klamath-Modoc: c'wiididiks — plover
  • Navajo: tábąądijádí — plover
  • Polish: sieweczka krzykliwa — plover
  • Portuguese: borrelho-de-dupla-coleira — plover
  • Russian: крикли́вый зуёк (kriklívyj zujók) — plover
  • Spanish: chorlo — plover
  • Swedish: skrikstrandpipare — plover
  • Unami: kwùskwtis — plover