scarecrow

[skair-kroh]

noun

1. an object, usually a figure of a person in old clothes, set up to frighten crows crow or other birds away from crops.

2. anything frightening but not really dangerous.

3. a person in ragged clothes.

4. an extremely thin person.

scarecrow

/ ˈskɛəˌkrəʊ /

noun

1. an object, usually in the shape of a man, made out of sticks and old clothes to scare birds away from crops

2. a person or thing that appears frightening but is not actually harmful

3. informal

   1. an untidy-looking person

   2. a very thin person

Other Word Forms

• scarecrowish adjective
• scarecrowy adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of scarecrow¹

First recorded in 1545–55; scare + crow ¹

Example Sentences

Mr. Plemons, who has slimmed down to scarecrow dimensions to suit a character who has renounced all worldly pleasures, is one of those rare actors who never seem to be acting.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

Suddenly, it’s no longer a silhouette in the haze but a scarecrow, shrouded in hay, lurching toward me.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

Mr Tayebwa said he has been engaging farmers to use different deterrent methods like scarecrows to protect their crops from invading cranes.

Read more on BBC

Earlier in the telecast, Roan took the stage along with her entourage of western clowns and scarecrow dancers for a performance of “Pink Pony Club,” her anthem celebrating queer nightlife in West Hollywood.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

This lent more than a modicum of weight to the observation once made by Thomas Jefferson: “Experience has already shown that the impeachment the Constitution has provided is not even a scarecrow.”

Read more on Salon

Related Words

• spectacle