bald eagle

noun

: an eagle (Haliaeetus leucocephalus) of North America that is brown when young with white only on the undersides of the wings but in full adult plumage has white head and neck feathers and a white tail

Illustration of bald eagle

Illustration of bald eagle

Examples of bald eagle in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
The cause of death for Jackie the bald eagle has been revealed. — Jack Dolan, Los Angeles Times, 16 Oct. 2026 The Ojai Raptor Center released the final necropsy results for Jackie, an internet-famous bald eagle mother who was in their care this summer. — Laura Baisas, Popular Science, 15 Oct. 2026 The viral bald eagle known as Jackie, who lived in California's Big Bear Valley, died of multiple causes, according to a new necropsy report. — ABC News, 15 Oct. 2026 Jackie, the Big Bear bald eagle who captured the awe of millions over the years via the Big Bear Bald Eagle Nest Cam. — Dean Fioresi, CBS News, 15 Oct. 2026 See All Example Sentences for bald eagle

Word History

First Known Use

1688, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of bald eagle was in 1688

Rhymes for bald eagle

See All Rhymes for bald eagle

Browse Nearby Words

bald-domed
bald eagle
Balder
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Bald eagle.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/bald%20eagle. Accessed 20 Oct. 2026.

Copy Citation

Kids Definition

bald eagle

noun
: a North American eagle which is mostly brown when young but has white head, neck, and tail feathers when mature

More from Merriam-Webster on bald eagle

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about bald eagle

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of compunction

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

'Can' vs. 'May'

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

More Commonly Mispronounced Words

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Did 'orange' the fruit or the color come first?

Even More Bird Names that Sound Like Insults (and Sometimes Are)

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World
See More

Popular

See More

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
artwork of illustrated limes with the text limes and smile with an arrow connecting the two words
Quiz: Spot the Anagram! Scramble these words to find new words with the e...
See All