chirp
verb (used without object)
to make a characteristic short, sharp sound, as small birds and certain insects.
chirp
American
[churp]
/ tʃɜrp /
verb (used without object)
-
chirps,
present (3rd person singular)
-
chirped,
past participle, past
-
chirping
present participle
-
to make a characteristic short, sharp sound, as small birds and certain insects.
-
to make any similar sound.
The children chirped with amusement.
verb (used with object)
-
chirps,
present (3rd person singular)
-
chirped,
past participle, past
-
chirping
present participle
noun
-
chirps
plural
chirp
1
British
/ tʃɜːp /
verb
-
(esp of some birds and insects) to make a short high-pitched sound
-
to speak in a lively fashion
noun
CHIRP
2
British
/ tʃɜːp /
acronym
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
chirpsimple
-
chirpssimple
-
have chirpedperfect
-
has chirpedperfect
-
am chirpingprogressive
-
are chirpingprogressive
-
is chirpingprogressive
-
have been chirpingperfect progressive
-
has been chirpingperfect progressive
Past
-
chirpedsimple
-
had chirpedperfect
-
was chirpingprogressive
-
were chirpingprogressive
-
had been chirpingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of chirp
1400–50; late Middle English chyrpynge (gerund); expressive word akin to cheep, chirk, etc.
Explanation
A chirp is the short, high sound a bird makes. The chirps of the robins at your bird feeder through the open window might drive your cat crazy. Birds chirp — you could also say they tweet, twitter, cheep, and warble — and some insects chirp too. An extremely cheerful person also chirps: "The overly enthusiastic tour guide chirps happily as the bus moves through the city." Chirp may have developed as an imitation of the sound itself, or it may stem from the Middle English chirken, "twitter," which is rooted in the Old English cearcian, "to creak."
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
First, it identifies the first known example of a "chirp" in a supernova, revealing a new type of observable behavior in stellar explosions.
From Science Daily ● Mar. 11, 2026
With that said, take a deep breath, and imagine being surrounded by the fresh scent of pine as mountain chickadees chirp all around you.
From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 29, 2025
David Warner fired shots for his old team-mates on Saturday, following chirp from Steve Smith and Nathan Lyon.
From BBC ● Aug. 2, 2025
I could hardly take another disappointment delivered with a cheerful chirp to my inbox.
From Slate ● Jan. 2, 2025
The rolling chirp of the crickets passed through the early-morning air.
From "The Ugly One" by Leanne Statland Ellis
CHIRP, the Chicago Independent Radio Project, raised $6,000 in seed money.
From Chicago Tribune ● Mar. 9, 2011
Starting Thursday afternoon and lasting throughout the night, chirps could be heard coming from one of the avian couple’s two eggs, perched high in a Jeffrey pine overlooking Big Bear Lake.
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 3, 2026
“I’m going to put on my bathing suit right now!” she chirps from her bedroom, sounding happier than most about the prospect of changing into swimwear on a raw and cloudy afternoon.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 30, 2026
“This is Meredith,” a voice chirps, before Bezucha cuts from black to a shot of the back of a woman’s head, focusing on her hair that’s been tightly wound into a severe bun.
From Salon ● Oct. 15, 2025
These beady-eyed amphibians can be found on the banks of noisy streams throughout China, where the rapids would drown out ordinary croaks and chirps.
From Science Magazine ● Mar. 11, 2024
Surrounded by nature—a gurgling stream, the caws, chirps of birds, a forest quiet humming underneath all the other sounds.
From "Paradise on Fire" by Jewell Parker Rhodes
Birds chirped as he sat on the porch of a house near the front line, still in his Russian uniform.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 16, 2026
The system uses a chirped laser pulse made up of multiple wavelengths that arrive at slightly different times.
From Science Daily ● Apr. 21, 2026
"Come back in a couple of weeks, and we'll talk then," the woman at the animal rescue chirped.
From Salon ● Dec. 6, 2024
His phone chirped every few minutes as locals called for updates on the fire or just to see whether he’s open.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 11, 2024
Chester chirped the second verse of “Onward Christian Soldiers,” and finished with a soaring “Amen.”
From "The Cricket in Times Square" by George Selden
When the driver moved it, the monkey began chirping and jumping inside.
From BBC ● Jul. 21, 2026
But the images also bring back “the chirping and the beeping,” the panic and urgency, and the toe-prick tests that made Jackson bruise and “squeal” with pain.
From Slate ● Jul. 19, 2026
Farah expects astronomers to discover many more "chirping" supernovae once the Vera C. Rubin Observatory begins its unprecedented survey of the night sky.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 6, 2026
I executed a couple of full-power stops from highway speeds—tires chirping, brake pedal chattering—and our SS slowed up, hard, straight and true.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 30, 2026
Trevor’s mom started driving toward home, and then I heard a familiar chirping sound—my email alert.
From "From the Desk of Zoe Washington" by Janae Marks
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