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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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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Shiwa Hassanpour, an activist with the human rights monitor Hengaw Organization, based in Iraq’s Kurdish region, said people have been shot for approaching the border, because Iranian forces suspect them of being spies or informants.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
30 Mar. 2026
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The Weathermen and Panthers held meetings together and exchanged intel about government surveillance and police informants.—
Zayd Ayers Dohrn,
New Yorker,
28 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
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
-
The city might be hospitable because humans have reduced the numbers of predators like rats and cats around restaurants and buildings.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
1 Apr. 2026
-
Corrigan has personally seen evidence of rats surviving even the grisliest encounters with traps, as well as videos of rats pushing metal bars off their necks and surviving for months after losing limbs to traps.—
Jason Bittel,
Big Think,
31 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Canaries.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/canaries. Accessed 7 Apr. 2026.
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