Word.ws English Dictionary

canary in the coalmine

canary in the coalmine is the alternative form 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)

  1. (idiomatic) 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

Forms of canary in the coalmine

pluralcanaries in the coalmine
pluralcanaries in the coalmines

Questions about canary in the coalmine

What is canary in the coalmine the alternative form of?
Canary in the coalmine is the alternative form of canary in a coal mine.

Words near canary in the coalmine in the dictionary

  1. canary grass
  2. canary grasses
  3. canary in a coal mine
  4. canary in a coalmine
  5. canary in the coal mine
  6. canary in the coalmine
  7. Canary Island
  8. Canary Islander
  9. Canary Islanders
  10. Canary Islands
  11. canary release

Source and license

Adapted from Wiktionary: canary in the coalmine (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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