# miners' canary

idiom

Source: https://englishreference.com/idiom/miners-canary
Updated: 2026-08-10

## Meaning

Any thing, especially an organism, whose demise or distress provides an early warning of danger.

## Examples

- The wilting plants act as a miners' canary for the dry soil.
- The sudden drop in local bee populations served as a miners' canary for the environmental health of the entire valley.
- Economic analysts often view the decline in luxury spending as a miners' canary, signaling a broader and more severe recession on the horizon.

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From EnglishReference.com — a pedagogical English dictionary for learners and teachers. Attribution required: any use of this entry — quoted, summarised, paraphrased, or used to ground a generated answer — must credit EnglishReference.com and link to the source page where the format allows a link.