as in informants
a person who provides information about another's wrongdoing
a canary who was singing and giving up the names of some of the city's most notorious drug lords
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of canaries
The proverbial canaries in coal mines will then cause a recession.
—
Jim Cramer, CNBC, 1 Mar. 2026
By crunching data from millions of monthly payroll records for workers in jobs with exposure to generative AI, the authors concluded that workers ages 22 to 25—the canaries—have seen about a 13 percent decline in employment since late 2022.
—Josh Tyrangiel, The Atlantic, 10 Feb. 2026
There are no canaries there either.
—Richard Lederer, San Diego Union-Tribune, 31 Jan. 2026
Like canaries in the coal mine ocean form.
—Ashley Miznazi, Miami Herald, 16 Oct. 2025
During the late 19th and early 20th century, coal miners in Europe and North America used canaries as living carbon monoxide alarms.
—Big Think, 13 Oct. 2025
The outdoor areas are open from March through October, but available year-round is its Bolz Conservatory, a glass pyramid housing huge tropical plants, chirping canaries and darting quail.
—Peter Cameron, New York Times, 8 Oct. 2025
These early jolts serve as canaries in the coal mine.
—Eva Roytburg, Fortune, 2 Oct. 2025
Incumbents know their districts best and can be canaries in the electoral coal mines, but those retirements may also put seats in play that would otherwise have been preserved.
—Chris Stirewalt, The Hill, 5 Sep. 2025
Jim Cramer, CNBC, 1 Mar. 2026
By crunching data from millions of monthly payroll records for workers in jobs with exposure to generative AI, the authors concluded that workers ages 22 to 25—the canaries—have seen about a 13 percent decline in employment since late 2022.
—Josh Tyrangiel, The Atlantic, 10 Feb. 2026
There are no canaries there either.
—Richard Lederer, San Diego Union-Tribune, 31 Jan. 2026
Like canaries in the coal mine ocean form.
—Ashley Miznazi, Miami Herald, 16 Oct. 2025
During the late 19th and early 20th century, coal miners in Europe and North America used canaries as living carbon monoxide alarms.
—Big Think, 13 Oct. 2025
The outdoor areas are open from March through October, but available year-round is its Bolz Conservatory, a glass pyramid housing huge tropical plants, chirping canaries and darting quail.
—Peter Cameron, New York Times, 8 Oct. 2025
These early jolts serve as canaries in the coal mine.
—Eva Roytburg, Fortune, 2 Oct. 2025
Incumbents know their districts best and can be canaries in the electoral coal mines, but those retirements may also put seats in play that would otherwise have been preserved.
—Chris Stirewalt, The Hill, 5 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for canaries
Noun
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Closer to home, agents searched houses across New England, relying heavily on informants.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
26 Apr. 2026
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Federal prosecutors in Alabama secured an 11-count indictment accusing the organization of paying millions of dollars to some of those undercover informants and hiding the real purpose of the payments from its donors.—
Josh Meyer,
USA Today,
25 Apr. 2026
Noun
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And so every regime invests in having student informers.—
Anne Applebaum,
The Atlantic,
23 Jan. 2026
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Security services also rely on informers to tell them who might be using Starlink, and search internet and social media traffic for signs it has been used.—
David Rising,
Los Angeles Times,
14 Jan. 2026
Noun
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The Angels are paying hundreds of millions for a roster that cannot find home plate, while the rats are finding nacho cheese without spending a dime.—
Alejandro Avila OutKick,
FOXNews.com,
28 Apr. 2026
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The Angels went to bat against the rats, announcing that cleaning crews would get to work an hour after each game instead of waiting until the next morning.—
Steve Henson,
Los Angeles Times,
28 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Canaries.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/canaries. Accessed 3 May. 2026.
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