English · Proverb Candidate

birds of a feather flock together

Proposed by a contributor, not yet supported by evidence.

Also seen as: birds of a feather (flock together) · birds of the feather flock together

Sense 1

Both English Tiếng Việt

Meaning · English

People of similar character, background or taste tend to congregate or associate with one another; it is easier to establish friendships with people that one has a lot in common with.

Nghĩa · Tiếng Việt

người cùng tính cách thường tụ họp lại với nhau

Machine-translated — suggest a fix

Where it’s used: Used American English

Examples

So, in London, birds of a feather must flock together, willy nilly, silk hat and frock coat must go with white gloves and brown sables, peaky blinder and “choker" must associate with crop fringed hair, ear curls, and rakish three feathered hat.

Usage example from English Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0, retrieved 2026-07-30)

Sources & notes

Adapted from English Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0, retrieved 2026-07-30 via kaikki.org).

Sense 2

Both English Tiếng Việt

Meaning · English

People with similar interests or characteristics gather together

Nghĩa · Tiếng Việt

Những người có cùng sở thích hoặc đặc điểm sẽ tụ họp lại

Machine-translated — suggest a fix

Literally: birds with similar plumage gather in groups

Where it’s used: Used Widespread English

Examples

The musicians hung out with each other, proving that birds of a feather flock together

AI-drafted example auto-approved by rule (illustrative, not a corpus attestation)

Sources & notes

Listed on Wikipedia “List of proverbial phrases” (CC BY-SA 4.0, retrieved 2026-07-29); definition pending editorial review. Definition drafted by AI (@cf/meta/llama-3.3-70b-instruct-fp8-fast) and auto-approved by rule on 2026-07-31; pending editor spot-check.

Equivalents & related

Near equivalent Đồng thanh tương ứng, đồng khí tương cầu. Ngưu tầm ngưu, mã tầm mã Similar people often become friends. Tiếng Việt Near equivalent ngưu tầm ngưu, mã tầm mã Close to the English saying: “Birds of a feather flock together.”. Tiếng Việt Near equivalent cá mè một lứa birds of a feather flock together Tiếng Việt Near equivalent birds of a feather People with similar interests. English · via ngưu tầm ngưu, mã tầm mã Near equivalent blood is thicker than water Family ties are stronger than any other relationship English · via cá mè một lứa

Lighter cards are two steps away in the meaning graph — equivalents of equivalents, reached via the entry shown on the card.

Topics: Birds

Common questions

What does “birds of a feather flock together” mean?

People of similar character, background or taste tend to congregate or associate with one another; it is easier to establish friendships with people that one has a lot in common with.

Is “birds of a feather flock together” formal or informal?

No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.

What is the closest equivalent?

“Đồng thanh tương ứng, đồng khí tương cầu. Ngưu tầm ngưu, mã tầm mã” (Tiếng Việt) — near equivalent.