stool pigeon

noun

A pigeon tied to a stool by a piece of twine, used as a decoy to entice free-flying birds to the ground to be shot or trapped.

Similar
stooliestoolyabaddonaccuserbeeferbewrayerbigmouthblabber
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Meanings

nounstool pigeon (plural stool pigeons)

plural stool pigeons

  1. originallyA pigeon tied to a stool by a piece of twine, used as a decoy to entice free-flying birds to the ground to be shot or trapped.
  2. obsoleteslanggamblingA decoy used in a crooked gambling game.
  3. slangAn informer to the authorities, especially one who gives up criminal associates.

    Synonyms: stoolie, stooly, abaddon, accuser, beefer, bewrayer, bigmouth, blabber

Synonyms & antonyms

nounAn informer to the authorities, especially one who gives up criminal associates.

Similar
stooliestoolyabaddonaccuserbeeferbewrayerbigmouthblabberblabtaleblabtonguecanaryCIfingerfinkfizgiggossipgrassinformantinformerjurat

More synonyms by meaning

nounsomeone acting as an informer or decoy for the police

Similar
finksnitchsnitcherstoolpigeonstooliesneaksneakercanary
Broader
informerbetrayerrat
Also see
abaddoncanaryfinkinformantratsneaksneakersnitchsnitcherstoolstoolietattler

Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.

Origin

From the act of tying or even nailing a pigeon to a stool to act as a decoy by hunters. Alternatively, from an alteration of stale (“decoy”) + pigeon.

Full word history & related roots →

Translations

Bulgarian мюре, мамец
  • мюре (mjure)decoy
  • мамец (mamec)decoy
Finnish houkutuslintu, vasikka
  • houkutuslintudecoy
  • vasikkainformer
French balance, indic
  • balancedecoy
  • indicdecoy
  • moucharddecoy
German Lockvogel, Spitzel
  • Lockvogeldecoy
  • Spitzeldecoy
Greek πληροφοριοδότης, χαφιές
  • πληροφοριοδότης (pliroforiodótis)decoy
  • χαφιές (chafiés)decoy
Italian pentito
  • pentitodecoy
Norwegian Bokmål politispion, angiver
  • politispiondecoy
  • angiverdecoy
Polish kapuś, kabel
  • kapuśdecoy
  • kabeldecoy
  • kapuśinformer
  • kabelinformer
Russian наседка, подсадная у́тка
  • наседка (nasedka)decoy
  • подсадная у́тка (podsadnaja útka)decoy
Cite this entry
APA

stool pigeon. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/stool%20pigeon

MLA

“stool pigeon.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/stool%20pigeon. Accessed November 4, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “stool pigeon,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/stool%20pigeon.

Source: stool pigeon on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.