crow

¹ American  

[kroh] / kroʊ /

noun

1. any of several large oscine birds of the genus Corvus, of the family Corvidae, having a long, stout bill, lustrous black plumage, and a wedge-shaped tail, as the common C. brachyrhynchos, of North America.

2. any of several other birds of the family Corvidae.

3. any of various similar birds of other families.

4. Astronomy. Crow, the constellation Corvus.

5. crowbar.

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idioms

1. have a crow to pick / pluck with someone, to have a reason to disagree or argue with someone.

2. eat crow, to be forced to admit to having made a mistake, as by retracting an emphatic statement; suffer humiliation.

   His prediction was completely wrong, and he had to eat crow.

3. as the crow flies, in a straight line; by the most direct route.

   The next town is thirty miles from here, as the crow flies.

crow ² American  

[kroh] / kroʊ /

verb (used without object)

crowed, crew, crowed, crowing

1. to utter the characteristic cry of a rooster.

2. to gloat, boast, or exult (often followed byover ).

   Synonyms:

   brag, vaunt

3. to utter an inarticulate cry of pleasure, as an infant does.

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noun

1. the characteristic cry of a rooster.

2. an inarticulate cry of pleasure.

Crow ³ American  

[kroh] / kroʊ /

noun

1. a member of a Siouan people of eastern Montana.

2. a Siouan language closely related to Hidatsa.

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crow ¹ British  

/ krəʊ /

noun

1. any large gregarious songbird of the genus Corvus, esp C. corone (the carrion crow) of Europe and Asia: family Corvidae . Other species are the raven, rook, and jackdaw and all have a heavy bill, glossy black plumage, and rounded wings See also carrion crow

2. any of various other corvine birds, such as the jay, magpie, and nutcracker

3. any of various similar birds of other families

4. offensive an old or ugly woman

5. short for crowbar

6. as directly as possible

7. informal to be forced to do something humiliating

8. stone

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crow ² British  

/ krəʊ /

verb

1. (past tense crowed or crew) to utter a shrill squawking sound, as a cock

2. (often foll by over) to boast one's superiority

3. (esp of babies) to utter cries of pleasure

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noun

1. the act or an instance of crowing

Crow ³ British  

/ krəʊ /

noun

1. a member of a Native American people living in E Montana

2. the language of this people, belonging to the Siouan family

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crow More Idioms  

More idioms and phrases containing crow

• as the crow flies
• eat crow

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Other Word Forms

• crower noun
• crowingly adverb

Etymology

Origin of crow¹

First recorded before 900; Middle English crowe, Old English crāwe, crāwa; cognate with Old High German krāwa; akin to Dutch kraai, German Krähe

Origin of crow²

First recorded before 1000; Middle English crouen, crowen, Old English crāwan; cognate with Dutch kraaien, German krähen; crow ¹

Origin of Crow³

1795–1805; translation of North American French ( gens des ) Corbeaux Raven (people), literal translation of Crow apsá˙loke a Crow Indian

Example Sentences

“I am as merry as a schoolboy,” he crows, suddenly young again.

From The Wall Street Journal

“Welcome to a realm of unparalleled luxury and sophistication, where every detail of this magnificent estate has been meticulously crafted to offer an extraordinary living experience,” the listing crows.

From MarketWatch

When a crow sometimes consciously detects a stimulus and sometimes does not, specific nerve cells respond in line with that internal experience.

From Science Daily

Ada Carrillo, one of the devout who crowed the basilica this week, said she unites all of Mexico, transcending political, geographic and class divides.

From Los Angeles Times

For all his crowing about his money and showing off, he really didn’t put on airs.

From Salon

Related Words

• boast
• brag
• exult
• gloat
• squawk
• strut