: any of a family (Troglodytidae) of small typically brownish oscine singing birds
especially: a very small widely distributed bird (Troglodytes troglodytes) that has a short erect tail and is noted for its song
2
: any of various small singing birds resembling the true wrens in size and habits
Illustration of wren
wren 1
Examples of wren in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the WebBut here, Trisha Snider captured a wren grasping onto gray-head coneflowers like stilts, its beak open in song.—Carlyn Kranking, Smithsonian Magazine, 21 June 2024 Examples included house wrens (Troglodytes aedon) and urbane digger bees (Anthophora urbana).—Discover Magazine, 15 June 2024 Hidden in the lush surrounding terrain, southern house wrens croon their scratchy wake-up call and whistling kiskadees compete with bellowing Howler monkeys.—Terry Ward, Condé Nast Traveler, 2 June 2023 Wren nesting update As predicted, our house wren eggs began to hatch on May 4.—Ernie Cowan, San Diego Union-Tribune, 12 May 2024 See all Example Sentences for wren
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'wren.' 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 wrenne, from Old English wrenna; akin to Old High German rentilo wren
First Known Use
before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1
Time Traveler
The first known use of wren was
before the 12th century
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