How to Use pelican in a Sentence

pelican

noun
Definition of pelicannext
  • The pelican was placed in the largest cage the center could find and brought down to Will County.
    — Taylor Hartz, chicagotribune.com, 30 Oct. 2019
  • Dead fish washed ashore in Amuay, and dozens of pelicans were killed.
    — Kirk Semple, New York Times, 25 Feb. 2018
  • In front of us, frigate birds and gray pelicans paraglided on the wind.
    — Los Angeles Times, 7 Sep. 2019
  • Any news on the arrival of the white pelicans here in the East Bay and environs?
    — Tom Stienstra, SFChronicle.com, 30 Nov. 2019
  • Since April the group has taken in 50 of the pelicans noted for their large, pointy beaks.
    — John Rogers, Fox News, 13 June 2018
  • The pelican caught it with its beak, but the snack slid out of its exposed and damaged pouch.
    — Andrew J. Campa, Los Angeles Times, 23 Mar. 2024
  • The terns and pelicans have gone to roost, and the dolphins no longer crisscross the water by the hundreds.
    — Erik Vance, Scientific American, 22 Aug. 2017
  • Mahito cannot preach care to a starving pelican; the bird has no choice but to hunt.
    — Moeko Fujii, The New Yorker, 2 May 2024
  • The juvenile pelican was too tired to lift his head at first.
    — Gabrielle Russon, OrlandoSentinel.com, 23 Sep. 2017
  • The white pelicans are starting to arrive at the Lafayette Reservoir for the winter.
    — Tom Stienstra, SFChronicle.com, 30 Nov. 2019
  • The video shows the pelican struggling to get away as onlookers laugh.
    — Natasha Daly, National Geographic, 12 Mar. 2019
  • Large numbers of dead fish were washing up along the banks of the river and being scooped up by pelicans and gulls.
    — Adam Welz, Wired, 21 Mar. 2020
  • Harry makes it out of the holey boat but lands right in the oil like one of those baby pelicans that has to get washed off with Dawn.
    — Eliza Thompson, Cosmopolitan, 17 July 2017
  • At lunch, pelicans, herons and other feathery creatures fish nearby and soak up the sun on the piers.
    — Robyn George, USA TODAY, 22 Mar. 2023
  • But at feeding time, the place is full of birds outside the cages, too, with pelicans, herons and egrets hanging around hoping to snatch a snack.
    — Bonnie Gross, sun-sentinel.com, 16 Sep. 2019
  • These pelicans can weigh almost 20 pounds, and their wingspan can be as large as 9.5 feet.
    — Claire Reid, Journal Sentinel, 4 Aug. 2023
  • Seagulls and pelicans hovered around him in the cool, sticky air, while dolphins swam alongside the boat.
    — Amy Qin Callaghan O’Hare, New York Times, 12 Nov. 2023
  • White pelicans have a wingspan of 9 feet, making them one of the largest birds in North America.
    — Bonnie Gross, OrlandoSentinel.com, 6 May 2018
  • The fisheries commission was ready to electro-shock the lake to get them out, when a big flock of white pelicans flew over and picked them off one by one.
    — National Geographic, 9 Oct. 2019
  • What do a golden VW bus, a pink pelican and a charcoal drawing of palm trees on fire all have in common?
    — Patrick Connolly, OrlandoSentinel.com, 31 May 2018
  • Snowy egrets and great blue herons stand to feed, and the morning quiet is broken only by the plop of brown pelicans diving down to grab fish.
    — National Geographic, 13 June 2017
  • As the surf crashed against a barrier of sand, pelicans, cormorants and ospreys soared over the dark water.
    — Ian James, Los Angeles Times, 5 Oct. 2023
  • Some birds with large heads and bills, such as pelicans, fly with their neck retracted over their back so that the weight of the head and bill are close to the shoulders (and thus the center of lift).
    — Scientific American, 1 Feb. 2020
  • That’s because the Pelicans shoot the 3 like, well, pelicans.
    — Carl Steward, The Mercury News, 24 Feb. 2017
  • Higher up the food chain, whales, seals and pelicans are going hungry.
    — Mike McPhate, New York Times, 28 Dec. 2016
  • There also was some debate over whether the bird depicted is a pelican or a blue heron.
    — Patricia Dillon, Houston Chronicle, 29 June 2018
  • The lone holdout is Gerald, the flightless one-winged pelican the staff have somewhat adopted.
    — Marissa J. Lang, Washington Post, 31 Oct. 2019
  • Lagniappe Tulane will showcase a retro logo that dates back to the 1920s on its helmets against UCF, with a pelican on a surfboard.
    — G Smith, NOLA.com, 22 Oct. 2020
  • Bald eagles, white pelicans and flocks and flocks of water-loving birds.
    — Richard Tribou, OrlandoSentinel.com, 6 May 2018
  • On a recent cool morning here, mallards flew overhead, pelicans swam on the lake, coots picked bugs out of the mud, and a lone doe sauntered through tall grass.
    — Adam Popescu, New York Times, 20 Mar. 2018

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

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