The AI-powered English dictionary
plural blackbirds
A common true thrush, Turdus merula, found in woods and gardens over much of Eurasia, and introduced elsewhere. examples
A variety of New World birds of the family Icteridae (26 species of icterid bird). examples
(slang, derogatory, historical, among slavers and pirates) A native of the South Pacific islands.
third-person singular simple present blackbirds, present participle blackbirding, simple past and past participle blackbirded
To enslave someone, especially through chicanery or force quotations examples
2005, Wal F. Bird, Me No Go Mally Bulla: Recruiting and Blackbirding in the Queensland Labour Trade 1863–1906, Ginninderra Press
“At the same time, island communities — especially in coastal areas, where the effect of population loss was often enormous — sometimes retaliated against blackbirding raids.”
2000, Kate Fortune, Brij V. Lal, The Pacific Islands: An Encyclopedia – Volume 1, University of Hawaiʻi, page 208