birdie

1 of 2

noun

bird·​ie ˈbər-dē How to pronounce birdie (audio)
plural birdies
1
: a little bird
2
: a golf score of one stroke less than par on a hole compare eagle entry 1
3
: shuttlecock
In Asia, badminton is an obsession … . In one preliminary match in Malaysia, 21,000 people came out to watch the speeding birdie.—Jennifer Boeth

birdie

2 of 2

verb

birdied; birdieing

transitive verb

: to score a birdie on

Examples of birdie in a Sentence

Noun I made a birdie on the fifth hole. I made birdie on the fifth hole. Verb She birdied the second hole.
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Noun
From there, Talley did not look back, making eight more birdies until finally taking the match 8 and 6 after the 30th hole. — Zach Schenfisch, Forbes.com, 10 Aug. 2026 Frankie Harris made an 18-foot birdie putt on the final hole for a 12-under 59 and won the Pinnacle Bank Championship on Sunday with a par on second playoff hole for his first Korn Ferry Tour title in only his sixth start this year. — ABC News, 9 Aug. 2026
Verb
With her dad on the bag, Talley would go on to birdie the 11th hole to tie, then make two more birdies on the 12th and 13th holes to go two up. — Zach Schenfisch, Forbes.com, 10 Aug. 2026 Kuwaki was the clubhouse leader on 5-under-par when Henseleit dropped a monster 40ft putt to birdie the 18th, taking the final major of the year to a sudden-death playoff. — Caoimhe O'Neill, New York Times, 2 Aug. 2026 See All Example Sentences for birdie

Word History

First Known Use

Noun

1768, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb

1921, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of birdie was in 1768

Rhymes for birdie

See All Rhymes for birdie

Browse Nearby Words

birdhouse
birdie
birdie in the cage
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Birdie.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/birdie. Accessed 13 Aug. 2026.

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