noun
birdie
BUR-dee
noun
1
A golf score of one stroke under par on a hole.
"She sank a putt for a birdie on the ninth hole."
2
(informal, especially child-directed) A small or cute bird.
"Look at the little birdie on the fence!"
3
The feathered projectile used in badminton; a shuttlecock.
"The birdie flew just over the net."
verb
1
To score one stroke under par on a golf hole.
"He birdied the final hole to win the match."
How to Use Birdie
Learner’s notesIn plain EnglishGolf: one under par on a hole. Everyday use: a cute or small bird, or a badminton shuttlecock.
Common pairings
score a birdie
birdie putt
Word Forms
birdied past tense, birdies plural, birdies singular
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She sank a putt for a _____ on the ninth hole.
Etymology
A diminutive of "bird," with the golf sense dating to early 1900s American slang for a particularly good shot.