birds of a feather

noun

People having similar characters, backgrounds, interests, or beliefs.

“c1710, Jonathan Swift, "A Conference," lines 11-12, And since we're so near, like birds of a feather, Let's e'en, as they say, set our horses together.”

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Meanings

nounbirds of a feather pl (plural only)
  1. idiomaticpluralplural onlyPeople having similar characters, backgrounds, interests, or beliefs.

    c1710, Jonathan Swift, "A Conference," lines 11-12, And since we're so near, like birds of a feather, Let's e'en, as they say, set our horses together.

    2 more examples

    Birds of a feather do fall out sometimes.

    1876, Anthony Trollope, chapter 51, in The Prime Minister

    Paul Blanshard has two bogeymen of almost equal fearsomeness: one dwells in the Kremlin, the other in the Vatican.... Blanshard has satisfied himself that Stalin and the Pope are pretty much birds of a feather.

    1951 May 21, “As Bad or Worse?”, in TIME, archived from the original on 26 Apr 2009
  2. abbreviationellipsisidiomaticpluralplural onlyEllipsis of birds of a feather flock together.

Translations

Chinese Mandarin 同類的人 /同类的人, 一路貨 /一路货
  • 同類的人 /同类的人 (tónglèi de rén)people having similar characters
  • 一路貨 /一路货 (yīlùhuò)people having similar characters
Finnish samanlaiset
  • samanlaisetpeople having similar characters
French bonnet blanc, blanc bonnet, kif-kif
  • bonnet blanc, blanc bonnetpeople having similar characters
  • kif-kifpeople having similar characters
German Leute vom gleichen Schlag, Gleichgesinnte
  • Leute vom gleichen Schlagpeople having similar characters
  • Gleichgesinntepeople having similar characters
  • aus demselben Holz geschnitztpeople having similar characters
Irish bráithre aon cheirde
  • bráithre aon cheirdepeople having similar characters
Italian due gocce d'acqua
  • due gocce d'acquapeople having similar characters
Japanese 同類
  • 同類 (dōrui)people having similar characters
Korean 동류
  • 동류 (dongnyu)people having similar characters
Polish ludzie ulepieni z tej samej gliny
  • ludzie ulepieni z tej samej glinypeople having similar characters
Portuguese farinha do mesmo saco
  • farinha do mesmo sacopeople having similar characters
Romanian care se aseamănă, de aceeași categorie
  • care se aseamănăpeople having similar characters
  • de aceeași categoriepeople having similar characters
Spanish Dios los cría y ellos se juntan, tal para cual
  • Dios los cría y ellos se juntanpeople having similar characters
  • tal para cualpeople having similar characters
Swedish lika barn, kålsupare
  • lika barnpeople having similar characters
  • kålsuparepeople having similar characters
Cite this entry
APA

birds of a feather. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/birds%20of%20a%20feather

MLA

“birds of a feather.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/birds%20of%20a%20feather. Accessed November 5, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “birds of a feather,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/birds%20of%20a%20feather.

Source: birds of a feather on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.