Basic+ Word of the Day: pigeon

pigeon (noun)

A pigeon is a bird, popular in most parts of the world.

• The old man sat on the park bench and fed bread crumbs to the pigeons.
• Pigeons often perch under bridges.

Common uses

clay pigeon: a piece of clay or other material that is thrown in the air and used as a target for shooting.

stool pigeon: a police informant. Example: “Lefty is a stool pigeon. No wonder we were arrested!”

Did you know?

A homing pigeon (carrier pigeon) is a breed of pigeon that can find its way home. Homing pigeons are used to carry messages from a remote location, back to their home base.

In pop culture

Cyndi Lauper’s song, “Sally’s Pigeons,” is about homing pigeons in her neighborhood. Watch the video.

There are other meanings of pigeon.