Magpie is a noun referring to a glossy black-and-white bird known for stealing shiny objects, and by extension a person who collects or hoards. In broader usage, it can describe a person who retrieves or imitates others’ ideas or styles. The term often implies alertness, curiosity, and a tendency toward grab-and-go behavior.
"The magpie swooped down and picked up the coin from the sidewalk."
"Historically, magpies were blamed for hoarding small treasures everyone dropped."
"She’s a magpie of fashion, constantly snatching ideas from magazines and blogs."
"The child’s magpie instincts made them hoard buttons, bottle caps, and twinkling trinkets."
Magpie derives from the combination of mag- (a word in old English for various kinds of pests or birds) and pie (from Latin pica, Old English pica, a mag- bird name used in Germanic languages) historically used to denote a bird of the crow family with black-and-white plumage. The term is attested in Middle English as magpye, reflecting the Old French magpeis or magpes, borrowed from Latin pica. The word’s semantic evolution centers on the bird’s bold, acquisitive behavior—collecting shiny items and hoarding treasures—which later extended metaphorically to humans who imitate, collect, or “peck at” ideas. The first known uses of magpie in English literature appear in the 14th-15th centuries, with poets and naturalists noting the bird’s conspicuous plumage and habit of stealing valuables. Over time, “magpie” acquired cultural associations with mischief, opportunism, and mimicry, ultimately entering common usage to describe both the avian species and metaphorical hoarders or imitators in everyday speech.
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💡 These words have similar meanings to "Magpie" and can often be used interchangeably.
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Words that rhyme with "Magpie"
-pie sounds
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Pronounce as MAG-pie with primary stress on MAG. The IPA is /ˈmæɡˌpaɪ/ in US/UK/AU varieties. Start with /m/ then open-mid front vowel /æ/ like in cat, then the /ɡ/ stop, and end with /paɪ/ where /aɪ/ is the long I sound as in buy. Keep the /ɡ/ hard and avoid adding extra syllables; the two-syllable rhythm should feel crisp: MAG-pie.
Common errors include pronouncing it as a one-syllable word like MAG-PEE or mixing the vowel in the second syllable. Another frequent mistake is smoothing the break, producing /ˈmæɡpaɪ/ with a weak second syllable or misplacing stress. Ensure there is a clear secondary stress on the second syllable and finalize with /paɪ/ as a distinct glide. Practice by isolating /mæɡ/ and /paɪ/ separately, then blend with a natural pause.
Across US/UK/AU, the primary stress remains on the first syllable: /ˈmæɡ/; the second syllable /paɪ/ is a long I. In non-rhotic UK varieties, you’ll still hear the /paɪ/ clearly, with r-coloring absent. Australian English keeps rhotic tendencies but tends to be slightly flatter vowels; /æ/ can be more centralized. Overall, vowel height in /æ/ and the quality of /aɪ/ remain consistent, while subtle vowel shifts and intonation patterns may color the word in phrase-level speech.
The challenge is crisp two-syllable timing with a strong /æ/ in the first syllable and a high, tense diphthong /aɪ/ in the second. Many speakers misbalance the syllables or flip the order, producing /ˈmæɡaɪp/ or /ˈmeɡpaɪ/. Lightly articulate the /ɡ/ to avoid a harsh stop and maintain even tempo between /mæɡ/ and /paɪ/. The mouth should transition smoothly from a front vowel to a back, rising diphthong without adding an extra breath.
In Magpie, the 'g' is a full phoneme as in 'go' or 'give'—not silent. It is a hard /ɡ/ between /mæ/ and /paɪ/. The sequence is two clearly enunciated segments: /ˈmæɡ/ followed by /paɪ/. Avoid de-voicing or palatalizing the /ɡ/; keep it a robust velar stop before the diphthong /aɪ/. This hard /ɡ/ helps the word’s crisp two-syllable rhythm.
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