parrot

American  

[par-uht] / ˈpær ət /

noun

1. any of numerous hook-billed, often brilliantly colored birds of the order Psittaciformes, as the cockatoo, lory, macaw, or parakeet, having the ability to mimic speech and often kept as pets.

2. a person who, without thought or understanding, merely repeats the words or imitates the actions of another.

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verb (used with object)

parrots, present (3rd person singular) parroted, past participle, past parroting present participle

1. to repeat or imitate without thought or understanding.

2. to teach to repeat or imitate in such a fashion.

parrot British  

/ ˈpærət /

noun

1. any bird of the tropical and subtropical order Psittaciformes, having a short hooked bill, compact body, bright plumage, and an ability to mimic sounds

2. a person who repeats or imitates the words or actions of another unintelligently

3. facetious extremely disappointed

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verb

1. (tr) to repeat or imitate mechanically without understanding

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• parrotlike
  adjective
• parroty
  adjective
• parrotry
  noun

Conjugated Forms

Present

• has parroted
  perfect 3rd person singular
• have parroted
  perfect
• are parroting
  progressive
• parroting
  participle
• is parroting
  progressive 3rd person singular
• am parroting
  progressive 1st person singular
• have been parroting
  perfect progressive
• parrots
  singular 3rd person
• has been parroting
  perfect progressive 3rd person singular

Past

• had parroted
  perfect
• had been parroting
  perfect progressive
• was parroting
  progressive singular
• were parroting
  progressive plural
• parroted
  simple
• parroted
  participle

Future

• will parrot
  simple
• will have parroted
  perfect
• will be parroting
  progressive
• will have been parroting
  perfect progressive

Etymology

Origin of parrot

1515–25; apparently < Middle French P ( i ) errot, diminutive of Pierre ( see parakeet), though a comparable sense of the French word is not known until the 18th century

Explanation

A parrot is a brightly colored tropical bird with a distinctly loud voice. If you see someone calling a colorful bird "Polly" and asking it if it wants a cracker, that's a parrot. Parrots are popular pets because many of them have the ability to mimic sounds they hear, sometimes including human speech. In fact, this skill has led to a secondary meaning of the word parrot, "mimic mindlessly." You could say, for example, "I'm not going to just parrot everything the teacher says — I'm no parrot." The origin of the word is uncertain, although we know that before parrot, this bird was called a popinjay.

Example Sentences

He was Sam the Eagle, our national bird transformed by a Disney artist, and to some eyes bearing a slight resemblance to an earlier Disney avian character, a parrot.

From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 6, 2026

She soon realized that her new songs were beginning to parrot the themes and stories of those essays.

From Los Angeles Times • May 11, 2026

Lola the parrot is home after airport charm offense.

From MarketWatch • Apr. 8, 2026

And this isn't the first time a parrot has been lost in Dublin Airport after one attempted to take off from the main runway in 2019.

From BBC • Apr. 6, 2026

For her outfit, she also picked out her skirt just like my parrot skirt, but she insisted on a poodle when Mami made hers.

From "Before We Were Free" by Julia Alvarez

Related Words

• recite