: any of various large wading birds (family Ciconiidae) chiefly of Asia, Africa, and South America that have long stout bills and are related to the ibises and herons

Illustration of stork

Illustration of stork

Examples of stork in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web From singers to influencers, comedians, filmmakers and athletes, the stork has been busy! Victoria Uwumarogie, Essence, 13 Feb. 2024 Now that the stork is out of the bag, Bailey's been more forthcoming with her pregnancy, sharing photos and videos of the once-private period in her life. Lester Fabian Brathwaite, EW.com, 28 Jan. 2024 Add a horseback safari through the grounds to your itinerary to see llamas, colobus monkeys, marabou storks, zebras and peacocks. Jennifer Kester, Forbes, 23 Feb. 2024 It’s told through five phases — Single, True Love, Pregnancy, Baby and Ongoing — and includes essays about everything from the dreams of a stork to a fantasy therapy session to Slate’s theories about post-partum hair loss. Seija Rankin, The Hollywood Reporter, 20 Feb. 2024 The large pink wader’s appearance also highlights the beginning of the annual post-breeding dispersal of southern herons, egrets, spoonbills, and storks north into the piedmont of the Carolinas. Taylor Piephoff, Charlotte Observer, 31 Jan. 2024 In this admittedly simplified scenario, the stork would have brought 1.6 million more babies to our shores over the past decade and a half. Patrick T. Brown, National Review, 25 Jan. 2024 After leaving the gorgeous golds and ochres of their pond behind, the five ducks touch down for the night in an ominous swamp, where a pair of potentially frightening storks offer them shelter. Peter Debruge, Variety, 20 Dec. 2023 Wood storks are long-legged, wading birds that can stand more than 4-feet tall when fully-grown. Drew Kann, ajc, 18 Sep. 2023

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'stork.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Middle English, from Old English storc; akin to Old High German storah stork and probably to Old English stearc stiff — more at stark

First Known Use

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of stork was before the 12th century

Dictionary Entries Near stork

Cite this Entry

“Stork.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/stork. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

stork

noun
: any of various large mostly African and Asian wading birds that have long stout bills and are related to the herons and ibises

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