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.
Parton’s passion projects were wide-ranging, from literacy and graduation rates in her home state to bald eagle conservation to donations for the development of Moderna’s Covid-19 vaccine. — Ct Jones, Rolling Stone, 28 Aug. 2026 Parton invested time and money in causes that were important to her, including funding college tuition and saving bald eagles. — Maggie Penman, Washington Post, 27 Aug. 2026 Beyond the big hair and chart-topping hits, Parton was known as a prolific philanthropist who poured millions into causes ranging from childhood literacy and leukemia to disaster relief and the preservation of bald eagles. — Mary Walrath-Holdridge, USA Today, 26 Aug. 2026 During the game, the team showed clips of the bald eagle family, including some of their newest eaglets, Sandy and Luna. — Dean Fioresi, CBS News, 24 Aug. 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 1 Sep. 2026.

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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

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