Illustration of magpie
- magpie 1
1
: any of various birds (especially Pica pica) related to the jays but having a long graduated tail and black-and-white or brightly colored plumage
2
: a person who chatters noisily
3
: one who collects indiscriminately
1
: collected indiscriminately : miscellaneous
magpie compilations of unrelated tidbits—
Helen R. Cross
Helen R. Cross2
: given to indiscriminate collecting : acquisitive
what possible magpie instinct had impelled me to retain them—S. J. Perelman
S. J. PerelmanSynonyms
Examples of magpie in a Sentence
Noun
media magpies will no doubt seize upon the president's latest gaffe and blow it all out of proportion
Adjective
a pack rat whose cramped apartment is filled with a magpie collection of books, old newspapers, and tchotchkes
Recent Examples on the WebHilary Whiteman, CNN, 27 Mar. 2024
Klimek: Elsewhere on the internet this summer, a lot of people were following another big story about European crows and magpies.
—Chris Klimek, Smithsonian Magazine, 21 Sep. 2023
This man, of course, is John Galliano, creative director of Dior at the time and, by general consensus, one of the world’s great fashion designers, acclaimed for his theatrical magpie vision and the maximalist joie de vivre of his clothes.
—Maya Singer, Vogue, 6 Mar. 2024
Designers in the Netherlands and an entrepreneur in Sweden tried to build their own machines; a few hobbyists even managed to teach magpies to bring bottle caps to back-yard machines.
—Ben Crair, The New Yorker, 5 Mar. 2024
Blue Jay, Cyanocitta cristata – Loud and colorful, these magpies will eat almost anything.
—Karl Schneider, The Indianapolis Star, 4 Mar. 2024
Any magpie with an eye for sparkle relishes awards season, a time when tens of millions of dollars in precious gems and metals roam the red carpet.
—Hannah Jackson, Vogue, 8 Jan. 2024
Peter is such a magpie for a great, telling piece of theater.
—Emily Zemler, Los Angeles Times, 15 Dec. 2023
Only a few non-human animals have passed the mirror test, including great apes, bottlenose dolphins, elephants, magpies and crows.
—Will Sullivan, Smithsonian Magazine, 27 Oct. 2023
Kwame Anthony Appiah, New York Times, 22 Mar. 2024
Though the idiosyncratic fashions in the photos are undeniably of their age, their magpie referentiality makes the pictures seem contemporary.
—Crispin Long, The New Yorker, 15 Sep. 2023
And sharp, human materials, including barbed wire and knitting needles, have previously been found in magpie domes, the scientists noted.
—Emily Anthes, New York Times, 13 July 2023
Noun
Peggy is a stout and muscular Staffordshire bull terrier, and Molly is a magpie, an Australian bird best known for swooping on humans during breeding season, not for befriending dogs.
—Hilary Whiteman, CNN, 27 Mar. 2024
Klimek: Elsewhere on the internet this summer, a lot of people were following another big story about European crows and magpies.
—Chris Klimek, Smithsonian Magazine, 21 Sep. 2023
This man, of course, is John Galliano, creative director of Dior at the time and, by general consensus, one of the world’s great fashion designers, acclaimed for his theatrical magpie vision and the maximalist joie de vivre of his clothes.
—Maya Singer, Vogue, 6 Mar. 2024
Designers in the Netherlands and an entrepreneur in Sweden tried to build their own machines; a few hobbyists even managed to teach magpies to bring bottle caps to back-yard machines.
—Ben Crair, The New Yorker, 5 Mar. 2024
Blue Jay, Cyanocitta cristata – Loud and colorful, these magpies will eat almost anything.
—Karl Schneider, The Indianapolis Star, 4 Mar. 2024
Any magpie with an eye for sparkle relishes awards season, a time when tens of millions of dollars in precious gems and metals roam the red carpet.
—Hannah Jackson, Vogue, 8 Jan. 2024
Peter is such a magpie for a great, telling piece of theater.
—Emily Zemler, Los Angeles Times, 15 Dec. 2023
Only a few non-human animals have passed the mirror test, including great apes, bottlenose dolphins, elephants, magpies and crows.
—Will Sullivan, Smithsonian Magazine, 27 Oct. 2023
Adjective
The language and structure of King’s sermons, tapping into this magpie tradition of oral performance, had many sources.
—Kwame Anthony Appiah, New York Times, 22 Mar. 2024
Though the idiosyncratic fashions in the photos are undeniably of their age, their magpie referentiality makes the pictures seem contemporary.
—Crispin Long, The New Yorker, 15 Sep. 2023
And sharp, human materials, including barbed wire and knitting needles, have previously been found in magpie domes, the scientists noted.
—Emily Anthes, New York Times, 13 July 2023
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'magpie.' 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 magpie
Cite this Entry
“Magpie.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/magpie. Accessed 19 Apr. 2024.
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