crow

[ kroh ]

/ kroʊ /

|||

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR crow ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

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.

any of several other birds of the family Corvidae.

any of various similar birds of other families.

(initial capital letter) Astronomy. the constellation Corvus.

crowbar(def 1).

Nearby words

crouse, croustade, croute, crouton, crouzon's disease, crow, crow blackbird, crow over, crow step, crow's-foot, crow's-nest

Idioms

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.

eat crow, Informal. 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.

have a crow to pick/pluck with someone, Midland and Southern U.S. to have a reason to disagree or argue with someone.

Origin of crow

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

Can be confused

craw crow

Definition for crow (2 of 3)

crow

[ kroh ]

/ kroʊ /

verb (used without object), crowed or for 1, (especially British), crew; crowed; crow·ing.

to utter the characteristic cry of a rooster.

to gloat, boast, or exult (often followed by over).

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

noun

the characteristic cry of a rooster.

an inarticulate cry of pleasure.

Origin of crow

before 1000; Middle English crowen, Old English crāwan; cognate with Dutch kraaien, German krähen; see crow¹

SYNONYMS FOR crow

2 vaunt, brag.

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR crow ON THESAURUS.COM

Related forms

crow·er, nouncrow·ing·ly, adverb

Definition for crow (3 of 3)

Crow

[ kroh ]

/ kroʊ /

noun

a member of a Siouan people of eastern Montana.

a Siouan language closely related to Hidatsa.

Origin of Crow

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

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for crow

“It tasted like a crow enchilada,” Morrissey said, as he literally ate his words.
The Chicago Bulls’ Joakim Noah Sounds Off on Weed, the Weather, and Winning|Bill Schulz|October 19, 2014|DAILY BEAST
And a third is that we all paused a second to look at the red glow over Baltimore, 35 miles away as the crow flies.
The Stacks: H.L. Mencken on the 1904 Baltimore Fire|H.L. Mencken|October 4, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Crow explained that his site put preventative measures in place to preclude trolls from reigning.
ReaganBook Is the Latest Conservative #Fail|Gideon Resnick|July 31, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Crow married and says that midway through the Clinton presidency his wife began to nudge him to the left.
These Clinton Haters Can’t Quit the Crazy|David Freedlander|May 22, 2014|DAILY BEAST

You could actually hear a crow in the distance when this happened.
Ted Cruz and the Times Square Anarchist Puppeteer|Dean Obeidallah|April 18, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The remote ancestors of the fox or of the crow were doubtless less shrewd and cunning than the crows and the foxes of to-day.
Ways of Nature|John Burroughs
He packed the cod in boxes and sent them by Crow and the steam-packet to the market in Liverpool.
The Manxman|Hall Caine
The proprietor, Mr. Crow, gave me my dinner which I accepted with many thanks, for it saved my coin to pay for the next meal.
Death Valley in '49|William Lewis Manly
She flapped her wings with prodigious effect—so—so—and, as for her crow, it was delicious!
The Works of Edgar Allan Poe|Edgar Allan Poe
In the Crow's Nest the sudden coup of the strikers had the effect which its originator had doubtless counted upon.
The Taming of Red Butte Western|Francis Lynde

British Dictionary definitions for crow (1 of 3)

crow

/ (krəʊ) /

noun

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 wingsSee also carrion crow Related adjective: corvine

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

any of various similar birds of other families

offensive an old or ugly woman

short for crowbar

as the crow flies as directly as possible

eat crow US and Canadian informal to be forced to do something humiliating

stone the crows stone

Word Origin for crow

Old English crāwa; related to Old Norse krāka, Old High German krāia, Dutch kraai

British Dictionary definitions for crow (2 of 3)

crow

/ (krəʊ) /

verb (intr)

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

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

(esp of babies) to utter cries of pleasure

noun

the act or an instance of crowing

Derived Forms

crower, nouncrowingly, adverb

Word Origin for crow

Old English crāwan; related to Old High German krāen, Dutch kraaien

British Dictionary definitions for crow (3 of 3)

Crow

/ (krəʊ) /

noun

plural Crows or Crow a member of a Native American people living in E Montana

the language of this people, belonging to the Siouan family

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Idioms and Phrases with crow

crow

In addition to the idiom beginning with crow

crown jewels
crow over

also see:

as the crow flies
eat crow