canaries in a coal mine
canaries in a coal mine is the plural of canary in a coal mine.
Meaning of canary in a coal mine
Noun
canary in a coal mine (plural canaries in a coal mine or canaries in coal mines)
- Something whose sensitivity to adverse conditions makes it a useful early indicator of such conditions; something which warns of the coming of a greater danger or trouble by a deterioration in its health or welfare.
- "A mussel is a canary in a coal mine," Clemens explained. "When the freshwater mussels are healthy, it indicates good water quality."2003 April, “Saving the St. Joe”, in Field & Stream
- Synonyms:
- miner's canary
Questions about canaries in a coal mine
- What is canaries in a coal mine the plural of?
- Canaries in a coal mine is the plural of canary in a coal mine.
Words near canaries in a coal mine in the dictionary
Source and license
Adapted from Wiktionary: canaries in a coal mine (page history and authors); canary in a coal mine (page history and authors). Text available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 license. Word.ws reformatted the entry and added links. Wiktionary data of 2026-09-02.
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