chirp

American  

[churp] / tʃɜrp /

verb (used without object)

1. to make a characteristic short, sharp sound, as small birds and certain insects.

2. to make any similar sound.

   The children chirped with amusement.

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verb (used with object)

1. to sound or utter in a chirping manner.

   The little girl chirped her joy.

noun

1. a chirping sound.

chirp ¹ British  

/ tʃɜːp /

verb

1. (esp of some birds and insects) to make a short high-pitched sound

2. to speak in a lively fashion

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noun

1. a chirping sound, esp that made by a bird

CHIRP ² British  

/ tʃɜːp /

acronym

1. Confidential Human Incidents Reporting Programme: a system, run by the RAF Institute of Medicine, by which commercial pilots can comment on safety trends without the knowledge of their employers

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Other Word Forms

• chirper noun
• chirpingly adverb

Etymology

Origin of chirp

1400–50; late Middle English chyrpynge (gerund); expressive word akin to cheep, chirk, etc.

Example Sentences

The host handed me a blindfold and Bose noise-canceling headphones, playing the hypnotic sounds of a space drum with birds chirping in the distance.

From Los Angeles Times

She then skated away to serve her two minutes, a cheeky grin plastered across her face, chirping all the way to the penalty box.

From The Wall Street Journal

A tiny bird chirped in a nearby tree.

From Literature

A gathering of the yellow birds landed on Leigh’s shoulder and chirped back and forth.

From Literature

The only sounds that came out of me were little peeps, like a baby bird chirping “Alexandra Potemkin and the Space Shuttle to Planet Z.”

From Literature

Related Words

• trill
• warble