parrot

American  

[par-uht] / ˈpær ət /

noun

• parrots
  plural

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

• parrotry
  noun
• parrotlike
  adjective
• parroty
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• parrots
  plural

Participles

• parroting
  present
• parroted
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• parrot
  simple
• parrots
  simple
• have parroted
  perfect
• has parroted
  perfect
• am parroting
  progressive
• are parroting
  progressive
• is parroting
  progressive
• have been parroting
  perfect progressive
• has been parroting
  perfect progressive

Past

• parroted
  simple
• had parroted
  perfect
• was parroting
  progressive
• were parroting
  progressive
• had been parroting
  perfect progressive

Future

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

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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

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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

See Examples For:

parrot parrots parroted parroting

The illegal collection and trafficking of parrot eggs posed "a serious threat to wild bird populations and animal welfare", it added.

From BBC ● Aug. 26, 2026

And catching bird flu can push our most threatened species, such as the orange-bellied parrot, to the brink of extinction.

From Science Daily ● Aug. 24, 2026

She says she had been tasked with serving mashed potatoes and grapes to an African gray parrot who had its own trust fund.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 23, 2026

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

“That’s a lie! Oh, lor!” cried the parrot, pecking at Laurie’s toes.

From "Little Women" by Louisa May Alcott

"The appellant keeps a few chickens, ducks and horses on site along with a variety of more unusual animals including eagles, falcons, parrots, hornbills, mongooses, skunks, porcupine and wallaby," they said.

From BBC ● Oct. 9, 2026

Known for his math skills and obsession with exotic parrots, Lemssouguer has faced big swings before, given his penchant for taking large stakes in companies in turmoil.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 8, 2026

For hours on end, we cruise around, seeing parrots, wallabies, a goanna and a couple of echidnas - but no numbats.

From BBC ● Aug. 8, 2026

She focused on parrots living alongside humans, birds that regularly hear and repeat words, including people's names.

From Science Daily ● Jun. 14, 2026

She parrots the byline they typically run beneath my face.

From "How It Went Down" by Kekla Magoon

Throughout the show, fans shook lightsticks, parroted Katseye's dance moves and, in some cases, spontaneously burst into tears.

From BBC ● Sep. 4, 2026

The expenses that Pentagon officials cited in congressional testimony and that then were parroted in media coverage are much lower than the costs the U.S. public will be forced to pay.

From MarketWatch ● May 28, 2026

One day a fourth grader appeared in front of her with a book about gay civil rights leader Harvey Milk and parroted the line, “This book is an abomination.”

From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 17, 2024

Wartime clichés, amplified by the press, are mindlessly parroted by the public.

From Salon ● Dec. 4, 2022

Koffi parroted back the very words the old woman had said to her in the market.

From "Beasts of Prey" by Ayana Gray

Pochettino has been parroting “Miracle,” the movie about the 1980 Olympics, and coach Herb Brooks’s message about needing the right players, not necessarily the best ones.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 1, 2026

Robinson, whose real name is Stephen Yaxley-Lennon, addressed the crowds where he criticised politicians for "parroting" his ideas.

From BBC ● Sep. 14, 2025

A 2025 study from researchers at the Max Planck Institute for Human Development determined that podcasters and YouTubers have lately been parroting A.I.’s favorite words, including delve.

From Slate ● Aug. 20, 2025

A rallying cry soon came from @ladyfromtheoutside, a TikTok creator who found inspiration in Ms. Kalil’s parroting of Marie Antoinette.

From New York Times ● May 17, 2024

“Love can’t kill me,” I say, parroting Carla’s words.

From "Everything, Everything" by Nicola Yoon

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Related Words

• recite

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