| Formes composées |
WordReference English-French Dictionary © 2026:
| A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush. expr | (Don't risk what you have.) | Un tiens vaut mieux que deux tu l'auras. expr |
| | I'm told I can do better if I keep looking for opportunities, but I'll stay at this job for now; after all, a bird in the hand is worth two in the bush. |
a little bird told me,
a little bird told me that,
I heard from a little bird that expr | figurative, informal (secret source told me) | mon petit doigt m'a dit que... expr |
a little bird told me,
I heard it from a little bird expr | figurative, informal (secret source told me) | c'est mon petit doigt qui me l'a dit expr |
| avian influenza n | (disease: chickens, wild birds) | grippe aviaire nf |
| baby bird n | (very young bird) | oisillon nm |
| | (littéraire) | oiselet nm |
| bird cage n | (metal enclosure for a bird) | cage à oiseaux nf |
| | My pet parrot always chews on the bars of its bird cage. |
| bird call n | (song of a bird) | chant d'un oiseau, cri d'un oiseau nm |
| | Le chant du rossignol. Le cri de la grive. |
| bird call n | (device: mimics birdsong) | appeau nm |
| | Il existe de nombreux appeaux pour la gallinette cendrée. |
| bird dog n | (retriever: used in hunting) | chien d'arrêt nm |
| bird dog n | US, informal (dog: pointer, setter) | chien d'arrêt nm |
| | | chien de gibier à plume nm |
| bird-dog⇒ vi | US, informal (investigate) | enquêter⇒ vi |
| bird-dog [sb/sth]⇒ vtr | US, informal (investigate) | traquer⇒ vtr |
| bird-dog [sb/sth] vtr | US, informal (seek out) | chercher⇒ vtr |
| bird dropping n | (excrement of a bird) | fiente d'oiseau, déjection d'oiseau nf |
| | I just got my car cleaned, and now there are bird droppings all over it. |
| | (familier) | crotte d'oiseau nf |
| | Je viens juste de faire laver ma voiture et maintenant, il y a plein de crottes d'oiseau dessus. |
| bird feeder n | (device: dispenses bird feed) | mangeoire à oiseaux nf |
| | Squirrels are constantly trying to steal seed from the bird feeder. |
| | Les écureuils essaient sans cesse de voler des graines de la mangeoire à oiseaux. |
bird flu,
avian flu n | colloquial (viral disease: avian influenza) | grippe aviaire nf |
| bird food n | (seed for birds to eat) | nourriture pour oiseaux nf |
| | | graines pour oiseaux nfpl |
| | Teresa filled the bird feeder with bird food and hung it from a tree. |
| | Teresa a rempli la mangeoire de graines pour oiseaux et l'a accrochée à un arbre. |
bird of paradise,
plural: birds of paradise n | (tropical bird: Australasian) (animal) | oiseau de paradis nm |
| | Je regardais les oiseaux de paradis s'ébattre dans le soleil couchant. |
bird of paradise,
plural: birds of paradise n | (flower of genus strelitzia) (fleur) | oiseau de paradis nm |
| | Le strelitzia est également appelé oiseau de paradis. |
| bird of prey n | (bird: hunts, kills) | oiseau de proie nm |
| | | rapace nm |
| | Condors and hawks are birds of prey. |
| bird ring n | (band or tag attached to bird's leg) | bague nf |
| | A bird ring is used as an identification device in the annual bird census. |
| bird sanctuary n | (permanent shelter for birds) | réserve ornithologique nf |
| bird sanctuary n | US (habitat reserved for birds) | réserve ornithologique nf |
| bird seed n | (grain fed to birds) | graines pour oiseaux nfpl |
| | Rita put some bird seed on the bird table. |
bird watcher,
bird-watcher,
birdwatcher n | (hobbyist who observes wild birds) | qui aime observer les oiseaux loc adj |
| | | ornithologue amateur nm |
| | Charles is an avid bird watcher; he even has a telescope set up in the dining room. |
| | Charles aime beaucoup observer les oiseaux : il a même un télescope dans la salle à manger. |
| bird-brained adj | (stupid, not intelligent) (familier) | avoir une cervelle de moineau, avoir une cervelle d'oiseau loc v |
| bird-like adj | (resembling a bird) | semblable à un oiseau loc adj |
| | | qui ressemble à un oiseau loc adj |
bird-watching,
birdwatching n | (observing wild birds) | observer les oiseaux loc v |
| | | observation des oiseaux nf |
| | Bird-watching is a very popular pastime in the UK. |
| | Observer les oiseaux est un passe-temps très populaire au Royaume-Uni. |
| bird's nest n | (structure built by a bird) | nid d'oiseau, nid nm |
| | There is a bird's nest built in the tree outside my house. |
| | Il y a un nid d'oiseaux dans l'arbre près de chez moi. |
| bird's-eye view n | (view from above) | vue d'ensemble, vue panoramique, vue aérienne, vue plongeante nf |
| | I got a bird's-eye view of the Atlantic as my plane flew over it. |
| | J'ai eu une vue plongeante sur l'Atlantique quand je l'ai survolé en avion. |
| bird's-eye view n | figurative (overall view) | vue d'ensemble nf |
birdcage,
bird cage n | (enclosure for birds) | cage à oiseaux nf |
| | My pet parrot always chews on the bars of its birdcage. |
birdhouse (US),
bird box (mainly UK),
nest box,
nesting box (UK) n | (to feed, shelter birds) | nichoir nm |
birdlime,
bird lime,
bird-lime n | (for catching birds) | glu nf |
birdwatch,
bird-watch vi | (observe birds) | observer les oiseaux loc v |
| cage bird n | (bird kept in cage) | oiseau en cage nm |
| carrion bird n | (bird: eats corpses) | charognard nm |
| | The vulture is a carrion bird. |
dodo,
dodo bird n | (extinct bird) (oiseau) | dodo nm |
| | (oiseau) | dronte nm |
| | The dodo was a bird that was unable to fly. |
| | Le dodo était un oiseau qui était incapable de voler. |
| early bird n | figurative ([sb] who wakes up early) | lève-tôt nmf inv |
| | | matinal adj |
| | My husband's an early bird, but I find it hard to get out of bed in the morning. |
| early bird n | figurative ([sb] arriving before others) | premier arrivé, première arrivée nm, nf |
| | | arriver tôt loc v |
| | Millie and I were early birds to the party; most of the guests arrived an hour or so later. |
| | Millie et moi sommes arrivés tôt à la fête ; la plupart des invités est arrivée une heure, voire plus, après. |
early bird,
early-bird n as adj | figurative (advance, before others) (tarif) | préférentiel adj |
| | (réduction) | avantageux, avantageuse adj |
| | You will enjoy an early-bird discount of 15% if you book your tickets before the 1st of February. |
| | Vous profiterez d'une réduction avantageuse de 15% si vous réservez vos billets avant le 1 février. |
| Early Bird n | (satellite) (satellite) | Early Bird nm |
| eat like a bird v expr | figurative (consume little or in small amounts) | avoir un appétit de moineau loc v |
| | No wonder she's so skinny, she eats like a bird! |
| | Pas étonnant qu'elle soit si maigre : elle a un appétit d'oiseau. |
| | | picorer⇒ vi |
| | Pas étonnant qu'elle soit si maigre : elle picore. |
flip [sb] the bird,
flip the bird at [sb],
give [sb] the bird v expr | US, slang (make vulgar middle-finger gesture) | faire un doigt d'honneur à [qqn] loc v + prép |
| free as a bird adj | informal (really free) | libre comme l'air adj |
| | When this school year is over, I'll be free as a bird. |
| | Quand l'année scolaire sera finie, je serai libre comme l'air. |
frigate bird,
man-o'-war bird,
hurricane-bird n | (seabird) (oiseau marin) | frégate nf |
| game bird n | (wild bird: hunted) | gibier à plume, gibier à plumes nm |
| | Henry enjoyed hunting game birds such as woodcock, partridge and pheasant. |
| | Henry aimait chasser le gibier à plume (or: à plumes) tel que la bécasse, la perdrix et le faisan. |
| gooney bird n | ([sth] foolish or awkward) | idiotie, imbécilité nf |
| gooney bird n | (albatross) (oiseau) | albatros nm |
happy family,
apostle bird n | UK (crowlike bird) (oiseau) | apôtre gris nm |
jabiru,
policeman bird n | (stork: Australian) (échassier) | jabiru d'Asie nm |
| migratory bird n | (bird that makes a seasonal journey) | oiseau migrateur nm |
| | The swallow is a migratory bird that flies to warmer climes in the winter. |
myna,
mynah,
mina bird,
minah bird n | (bird: imitates speech) (oiseau parleur) | mainate nm |
| night bird n | (nocturnal bird) | oiseau nocturne nm |
night bird,
nightbird n | figurative (person busy at night) (figuré) | oiseau de nuit nm |
| | | noctambule nmf |
| pie bird n | (kitchen gadget to vent steam) (petit objet que l'on met au centre d'une tarte) | cheminée à tarte nf |
| rare bird n | figurative, informal (outstanding person) (personne) | oiseau rare nm |
| rare bird n | figurative, informal (outstanding thing) (objet) | rareté nf |
redbird,
red-bird,
red bird n | US (bird with red plumage) (Ornithologie) | cardinal rouge d'Amérique nm |
| | (Ornithologie) | tangara rouge nm |
redbird,
red-bird,
red bird n | US, slang (capsule of drug: secobarbital) (drogue) | sécobarbital, quinalbarbital nm |
| | (moins précis mais plus compréhensible) | barbiturique nm |
seabird,
sea bird n | (bird inhabiting marine areas) | oiseau de mer nm |
| | | oiseau marin nm |
| | As the boys approached the beach, they could hear seabirds calling. |
| songbird n | (bird with tuneful call) | oiseau chanteur nm |
| | Aaron was content to listen to songbirds all afternoon. |
| The early bird catches the worm. expr | figurative (start work early to be successful) | L'avenir appartient à ceux qui se lèvent tôt. expr |
tui,
parson bird n | (NZ songbird) (oiseau néo-zélandais) | tui cravate-frisée nm |
wader,
wading bird n | (water bird) | échassier nm |
| | Waders live on the coast or in surrounding wetlands. |
| wading bird n | (long-legged bird that lives in water) | échassier nm |
| | The flamingo is a very beautiful wading bird. |
waterbird,
water bird n | (bird: aquatic) | oiseau aquatique nm |
weaver,
weaver bird n | (bird) (oiseau) | tisserin nm |
| | Weavers make their nests in groups and live communally. |
| | Les tisserins font leur nid en groupe et vivent en communauté. |
| widow bird | (bird) (oiseau africain) | veuve nf |