Birds of a feather flock together means that people who are alike end up together. People with similar interests, habits or characters find each other and stick together. The proverb is often shortened: They're birds of a feather.
When would you say birds of a feather flock together?
Write a sentence — we'll check that the expression fits the situation and suggest what to fix.
The check is taking longer than usual. Your feedback will appear here automatically.
birds of a feather flock together; A and B are birds of a feather
- My two neighbours spend every weekend fixing old cars together, so they're birds of a feather.
- At university, the students who loved chess soon found each other: birds of a feather flock together.
What changed
First versionTom and Jake both hate mornings, so they became friends at once. A fisherman sees a fisherman from afar.
RevisionTom and Jake both hate mornings, so they became friends at once. Birds of a feather flock together.
A fisherman sees a fisherman from afar is a proverb from another language translated word for word, and an English speaker will take it literally, as a remark about fishermen. English expresses the same idea with its own proverb about birds with the same feathers. Only the proverb was replaced.
The opposite idea is opposites attract: She's quiet and he's loud, but opposites attract. The proverb about birds sometimes sounds disapproving when it's about bad company. In essays, it's simpler to write people tend to choose friends who are like them.
Your turn
Mia and her best friend both collect vinyl records and love the same bands. They're ___.
Show the answer
birds of a feather — The two friends share a hobby and have the same tastes, so they're alike: birds of a feather. Chalk and cheese is said about people who are not at all alike.
Describe two people you know who were brought together by a shared hobby. Name the hobby and say where they met.
My cousin met his best friend at a climbing gym, and now they go climbing together every weekend: birds of a feather flock together.
Learn to use new words without mistakes
Write phrases with the words you are learning. LetsWords shows mistakes in usage and grammar, suggests corrections and explains them, and review helps the words stick.