blue jay

American

noun

a common, crested jay, Cyanocitta cristata, of eastern North America, having a bright blue back and a gray breast.

blue jay British

noun

a common North American jay, Cyanocitta cristata , having bright blue plumage with greyish-white underparts

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of blue jay

An Americanism dating back to 1700–10

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

On a screen, Waltz showed me a super-magified image of a blue jay—the Johns Hopkins mascot.

From The Wall Street Journal

He mocked every bird in the Ozark hills; from a redheaded woodpecker to a screaming blue jay.

From Literature

It is a backyard visited by darting sparrows and dignified blue jays lingering in the skeletal tree branches of spring.

From Salon

In 52 weekly entries, she sings the praises of clever crows and is heartened by the sight of blue jays and mockingbirds enjoying the heated birdbath she installed for them.

From Los Angeles Times

The UC study found that male spiders become motionless and "freeze" when a blue jay calls nearby.

From Science Daily

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023