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
Even the normally loquacious Healy - niece of former Australia men's wicketkeeper Ian - lacked her usual chirp behind the stumps.
From BBC ● Oct. 12, 2025
I could hardly take another disappointment delivered with a cheerful chirp to my inbox.
From Slate ● Jan. 2, 2025
Ma laughed at this in one big chirp and left us alone.
From "The Stars Beneath Our Feet" by David Barclay Moore
CHIRP, the Chicago Independent Radio Project, raised $6,000 in seed money.
From Chicago Tribune ● Mar. 9, 2011
“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
There are pine forests, waterfalls, wildflowers and more than 50 species of endangered or threatened plants, along with the colorful flickers and chirps of more than 490 species of birds.
From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 21, 2025
Kate says, appearing shocked at the implication, and once her friends relax again, she chirps.
From Salon ● Mar. 10, 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
“Sounds good,” she chirps, waving at me when I appear.
From "How to Disappear Completely" by Ali Standish
The system uses a chirped laser pulse made up of multiple wavelengths that arrive at slightly different times.
From Science Daily ● Apr. 21, 2026
“Protect our ducks and kittens in Ohio!” chirped the official account of Republicans on the House Judiciary Committee.
From Salon ● Sep. 10, 2024
Julie Hendricks-Atkins' colleagues chirped from their cubicles in Lower Manhattan.
From BBC ● Apr. 5, 2024
Bellemare also kept in close contact with former teammate Andre Burakovsky, who chirped him “as hard as he could” as soon as he signed.
From Seattle Times ● Sep. 22, 2023
The regular birds chirped away in a pretty, offbeat sort of rhythm, but they had nothing on the three-part harmony that emerged from the mouth of the silver-and-gold bird.
From "Half Upon a Time" by James Riley
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
"It did take her quite a few months to start realising, 'no, this actually is safe'," but now she has "full-blown zoomies outside, tail up, chirping, running around on her lead," Alana said.
From BBC ● Apr. 5, 2026
Farah believes astronomers will soon detect many more of these "chirping" supernovae.
From Science Daily ● Mar. 11, 2026
Sit at one of the tables, and don’t be surprised to hear the sounds of birds chirping from the man-made trees.
From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 26, 2026
One wall was covered with posters chirping inspirational quotes—The only way to guarantee failure is never to try—similar to the sticky notes his mom sometimes tacked to the bathroom mirror.
From "Not Nothing" by Gayle Forman
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
