Meanings
plural tyrant flycatchers
- Any of a group of passerine birds, of family Tyrannidae, that inhabit the Americas.
In most parts of tropical America we may always find some species of woodpecker[,] tanager, bush-shrike, chatterer, trogon, toucan, cuckoo, and tyrant-flycatcher; and a few days' active search will produce more variety than can be here met with in as many months.
1869, Alfred Russel Wallace, The Malay Archipelago, volume II, London: Macmillan and Co., page 64
Synonyms & antonyms
nounlarge American birds that characteristically catch insects on the wing
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
- translingualTyrannidae
- Englishtyrant flycatcher
The English name corresponds to translingual Tyrannidae, the taxonomic name. Tyrant flycatchers are so named because of the aggressive behavior of kingbirds (of genus Tyrannus, the type genus of the Tyrannidae) when defending their breeding territory.
More words from translingual
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Catalan tirànid
- tirànidgroup of birds
Chinese Mandarin 霸鶲 /霸鹟
- 霸鶲 /霸鹟 (bàwēng)group of birds
Dutch tiran
- tirangroup of birds
Finnish tyranni
- tyrannigroup of birds
Japanese 太蘭鳥
- 太蘭鳥 (tairanchō)group of birds
Polish tyrankowaty
- tyrankowatygroup of birds
Spanish atrapamoscas
- atrapamoscasgroup of birds
Cite this entry
tyrant flycatcher. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/tyrant%20flycatcher
“tyrant flycatcher.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/tyrant%20flycatcher. Accessed November 4, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “tyrant flycatcher,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/tyrant%20flycatcher.
Source: tyrant flycatcher on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.