sire

American  

[sahy^uhr] / saɪər /

noun

1. the male parent of a quadruped.

2. a respectful term of address, now used only to a male sovereign.

3. Archaic.

   1. a father or forefather.

   2. a person of importance or in a position of authority, as a lord.

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verb (used with object)

sires, present (3rd person singular) sired, past participle, past siring present participle

1. to beget; procreate as the father.

sire British  

/ saɪə /

noun

1. a male parent, esp of a horse or other domestic animal

2. a respectful term of address, now used only in addressing a male monarch

3. obsolete a man of high rank

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verb

1. (tr) (esp of a domestic animal) to father; beget

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• sireless
  adjective

Conjugated Forms

Present

• has sired
  perfect 3rd person singular
• have sired
  perfect
• have been siring
  perfect progressive
• has been siring
  perfect progressive 3rd person singular
• am siring
  progressive 1st person singular
• is siring
  progressive 3rd person singular
• siring
  participle
• are siring
  progressive
• sires
  singular 3rd person

Past

• had sired
  perfect
• were siring
  progressive plural
• had been siring
  perfect progressive
• sired
  simple
• was siring
  progressive singular
• sired
  participle

Future

• will sire
  simple
• will have sired
  perfect
• will be siring
  progressive
• will have been siring
  perfect progressive

Etymology

Origin of sire

1175–1225; Middle English < Old French (nominative singular) < Vulgar Latin *seior, for Latin senior senior (compare French monsieur originally, my lord, with sieur < *seiōr-, oblique stem of *seior )

Explanation

A sire is an animal's father. A newborn foal might look very much like his sire, with a white stripe on his brown face. Every once in a while, the word sire is used for a human — your dad is your sire — but it's much more common to find this word describing an animal's male parent. It's also a verb, meaning "to father," as in "My prize pig sires the cutest piglets." In the old days, you'd also use sire to directly address a nobleman or a king. It comes from the Latin word senior, "elder."

Example Sentences

Three years on, the Purosangue remains an astonishing presence on any street, a provocation, an outrage, a moral panic—indeed, sire, very like a Ferrari.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 18, 2026

The tendency of one sire to spread a harmful mutation among its descendants even has a name, “the popular sire effect.”

From Slate • Oct. 9, 2023

A corner stall in the stallion barn still bears Secretariat’s name and that of his sire, Bold Ruler, among those of other elites who have inhabited the space.

From Seattle Times • Jun. 10, 2023

Dunboyne has the same sire, Yeats, as last year's winner.

From BBC • Apr. 13, 2023

That night at supper Tyrion surprised his sire by walking the length of the high table on his hands.

From "A Dance with Dragons" by George R. R. Martin