From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishcanaryca‧nar‧y /kəˈneəri $ -ˈneri/ noun (plural canaries) [countable] HBHDHPa small yellow bird that people often keep as a pet
Examples from the Corpus
canary• But canaries are idiots of smell and wizards of hearing and love.• He keeps canaries, diamond doves and a pair of quails.• Porches are enclosed with metal bars, like canary cages.• Here, for instance, were hand-sized wolves, with the wings of canaries.• In the war my Grannie's canaries were blown through the window and on to the street.• Glancing up, I saw a beautiful yellow bird perched on a telegraph wire, looking like a prize long-tailed canary.• When the canaries stopped singing, the miners knew it was time to get out of there.Origin canary (1500-1600) Canary Islands, islands in the Atlantic ocean where the bird comes from 