grebe

[ greeb ]

noun
  1. any diving bird of the family Podicipedidae, related to the loons, but having a rudimentary tail and lobate rather than webbed toes.

Origin of grebe

1
First recorded in 1760–70, grebe is from the French word grèbe< ?

Words Nearby grebe

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use grebe in a sentence

  • The little grebe or dabchick (Podiceps albipennis) is another species that lays in July or August.

  • This is next to the Western grebe in size, both being larger than any of the others.

    Western Bird Guide | Chester A. (Chester Albert) Reed, Harry F. Harvey, and Rex I. Brasher
  • They build a typical grebe's nest, a floating mass of decayed matter which stains the naturally white eggs to a dirty brown.

    The Bird Book | Chester A. Reed
  • "I have no time for gossiping," mumbled Gaffer grebe, with his mouth full of building material.

    Robin's Rambles | May Byron
  • I doubt if the wild duck, teal, little grebe, and moorhen succeed in rearing many young in this most dangerous water.

    Birds in London | W. H. Hudson

British Dictionary definitions for grebe

grebe

/ (ɡriːb) /


noun
  1. any aquatic bird, such as Podiceps cristatus (great crested grebe), of the order Podicipediformes, similar to the divers but with lobate rather than webbed toes and a vestigial tail

Origin of grebe

1
C18: from French grèbe, of unknown origin

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012