homing pigeon

noun

: a racing pigeon trained to return home

Examples of homing pigeon in a Sentence

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.
In the project, da Costa outfitted homing pigeons with sensors to collect data on air quality. Matt Shaw, Forbes.com, 6 May 2025 Fort Monmouth, a former military base, used to be a headquarters for training homing pigeons and their handlers. Ian Frazier, New Yorker, 5 May 2025 Like his late father’s homing pigeons who keep returning to their shabby rooftop coop — a holding-pattern image that echoes the ennui of Terry Malloy on a very different waterfront — he’s imprisoned by the limits of his knowledge, the petrified loop of his experience. Guy Lodge, Variety, 26 Feb. 2025 How Cher Ami Saved The ‘Lost Battalion’ Cher Ami was a male homing pigeon born in the spring of 1918 in Norfolk, England. Scott Travers, Forbes, 4 Jan. 2025 See All Example Sentences for homing pigeon

Word History

First Known Use

1886, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of homing pigeon was in 1886

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Homing pigeon.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/homing%20pigeon. Accessed 22 May. 2025.

Kids Definition

homing pigeon

noun
: a racing pigeon trained to return home
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!