Illustration of cormorant
cormorant
noun
cor·mo·rant
ˈkȯrm-rənt 
ˈkȯr-mə-,
ˈkȯr-mə-ˌrant
1
: any of various dark-colored web-footed waterbirds (family Phalacrocoracidae, especially genus Phalacrocorax) that have a long neck, hooked bill, and distensible throat pouch
2
: a gluttonous, greedy, or rapacious person
Synonyms
Examples of cormorant in a Sentence
Diamond Jim Brady was perhaps the most celebrated cormorant of the Gilded Age.
Recent Examples on the Web
Simply not randomly shooting ravens, hawks and eagles, along with banning the harmful pesticide DDT, allowed many species, like eagles, cormorants and osprey, to return from the brink.
—
John Myers, Twin Cities, 26 May 2024
Several sleek black diving cormorants, along with an osprey, roosted in the branches during a morning visit on Thursday.
—Alex Harris, Miami Herald, 24 May 2024
When fish are stuck in the canal, predators like grebes and cormorants can more easily snatch them.
—Aaron Boorstein, Smithsonian Magazine, 12 Apr. 2024
One bird — a Brandt’s cormorant — that had been oiled died over the weekend.
—Hannah Fry, Los Angeles Times, 11 Mar. 2024
Countless species including these cormorants depend on healthy kelp forests to thrive.
—Cecilia Rodriguez, Forbes, 27 Feb. 2024
Last summer at a popular Monterey dive site, the cormorants seemed to be more active and curious than usual ...
—Alan Taylor, The Atlantic, 20 Feb. 2024
The footage showing colorful schools of European perch, nosediving cormorants and looming wels catfish attracts a lot of attention.
—Vittoria Traverso, Smithsonian Magazine, 13 Nov. 2023
In Oregon, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers killed thousands of cormorants in an effort to protect salmon in the Columbia River.
—Sarah Kuta, Smithsonian Magazine, 10 Jan. 2024
John Myers, Twin Cities, 26 May 2024
Several sleek black diving cormorants, along with an osprey, roosted in the branches during a morning visit on Thursday.
—Alex Harris, Miami Herald, 24 May 2024
When fish are stuck in the canal, predators like grebes and cormorants can more easily snatch them.
—Aaron Boorstein, Smithsonian Magazine, 12 Apr. 2024
One bird — a Brandt’s cormorant — that had been oiled died over the weekend.
—Hannah Fry, Los Angeles Times, 11 Mar. 2024
Countless species including these cormorants depend on healthy kelp forests to thrive.
—Cecilia Rodriguez, Forbes, 27 Feb. 2024
Last summer at a popular Monterey dive site, the cormorants seemed to be more active and curious than usual ...
—Alan Taylor, The Atlantic, 20 Feb. 2024
The footage showing colorful schools of European perch, nosediving cormorants and looming wels catfish attracts a lot of attention.
—Vittoria Traverso, Smithsonian Magazine, 13 Nov. 2023
In Oregon, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers killed thousands of cormorants in an effort to protect salmon in the Columbia River.
—Sarah Kuta, Smithsonian Magazine, 10 Jan. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'cormorant.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near cormorant
Cite this Entry
“Cormorant.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/cormorant. Accessed 6 Jun. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
cormorant
noun
cor·mo·rant
ˈkȯrm-(ə-)rənt
ˈkȯr-mə-ˌrant
: any of various dark-colored web-footed seabirds with a long neck, a hooked bill, and a patch of bare often brightly colored skin under the mouth
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