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.
Astronomy. Crow, the constellation Corvus.
have a crow to pick / pluck with someone, to have a reason to disagree or argue with someone.
eat crow, 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.
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.
the characteristic cry of a rooster.
an inarticulate cry of pleasure.
a member of a Siouan people of eastern Montana.
a Siouan language closely related to Hidatsa.
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 wings See also carrion crow
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 directly as possible
informal to be forced to do something humiliating
(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
a member of a Native American people living in E Montana
the language of this people, belonging to the Siouan family
First recorded before 900; Middle English crowe, Old English crāwe, crāwa; cognate with Old High German krāwa; akin to Dutch kraai, German Krähe
First recorded before 1000; Middle English crouen, crowen, Old English crāwan; cognate with Dutch kraaien, German krähen; see crow 1
1795–1805; translation of North American French ( gens des ) Corbeaux Raven (people), literal translation of Crow apsá˙loke a Crow Indian
A crow is a large, intelligent, black bird with a loud call. Farmers and gardeners set up "scarecrows" to keep crows away from their seeds and crops. A crow is glossy and dark, a close relation of the raven, and a large group of crows is known as a murder. When a crow caws, you can also say it crows — and another way to crow is to call out with satisfaction about something: "I'm so proud of the award I just want to crow about it all day long!" The Old English root of crow is crawe, which imitates the sound a crow makes.
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!
Want to remember this word for good? Start your learning journey today with our library of interactive, themed word lists built by the experts at Vocabulary.com – we'll help you make the most of your study time!
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
"I like the fact that it is 'human crow meets golf caddy meets the Artful Dodger'. We're pretty happy with it," she joked about this year's outfits.
From BBC ● Oct. 1, 2026
In the ancient world, plagiarism was viewed quite negatively: The word “plagiarism” actually means “kidnapper” in Latin, and the Roman poet Horace described literary theft like a crow making itself beautiful with stolen feathers.
From Salon ● Aug. 23, 2026
That’s 28 miles as the crow flies, but our route, with a detour for lunch in Cuyama, swelled the journey to more than 100 miles.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 13, 2026
Most microraptors were quite small, with some species reaching only about the size of a crow.
From Science Daily ● Jun. 23, 2026
She was trying to calm the crow, who was obviously terrified.
From "Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH" by Robert C. O'Brien
These are life skills that go beyond comedy, and, since opening the Crow, she has seen the positive, and often life-changing, impact on youth in her camp — over and over again.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 8, 2026
One of the best is WSJ.’s own Kelly Crow.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 26, 2026
Taylor Crow who works in sales says she's "fairly good" at networking as it was something she prioritised at university.
From BBC ● Sep. 16, 2026
Artists including actor Matt Damon, songwriter Maggie Rogers and singer Sheryl Crow weighed in.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 12, 2026
But over there, I’d been Crow, just Crow, a stranger among strangers.
From "Beyond the Bright Sea" by Lauren Wolk
Scavenger animals such as possums, red foxes and crows can be exposed to the virus while devouring the carcasses of infected birds.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 24, 2026
“Welcome to Fobes Ranch… a truly extraordinary piece of California mountain history,” the listing crows.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 20, 2026
Her life is saved by one of the crows that she has befriended.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 29, 2026
“The Wailing” somehow added ghosts, demon-possessed children and inky black crows to the mix with a near-crazed sense of showmanship.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 17, 2026
The crows who have seen them do not describe any youth.
From "Pax" by Sara Pennypacker
In fact, the film-maker and her crew were regularly falling sick as they tried to keep up with Lisa's ridiculous schedule.
From BBC ● Oct. 10, 2026
In Iran, a war that has relied largely on older and expensive systems, the U.S. also used an unmanned boat made by defense startup Saronic to rescue a stranded helicopter crew.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 10, 2026
Another crew on the Dubai-Tel Aviv flight was able to land the aircraft in Saudi Arabia.
From BBC ● Oct. 10, 2026
The crew also conducted nutrition-focused research and examined how physical characteristics may affect blood flow during spaceflight to help keep astronauts safe and healthy on future missions.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 8, 2026
I saw me doing a man’s work on a crew of men who’d logged all winter.
From "The Teacher’s Funeral" by Richard Peck
“Of course we’re going to do it at Fort Hood,” Hegseth crowed.
From Slate ● Oct. 9, 2026
“Sculptural, light-filled, and profoundly livable, this architectural gem stands as a testament to Brouse’s signature vision a residence that celebrates artistry, space, and the boundless beauty of the hills that surround it,” it crowed.
From MarketWatch ● Jun. 2, 2026
“I don’t think that I will ever make a serious mistake on the stock market for the rest of my life,” crowed Granville.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 22, 2026
"So much for being isolated," crowed the tabloid Moskovsky Komsomolets earlier this week.
From BBC ● Aug. 14, 2025
But I didn’t dream until after the rooster crowed.
From "The Teacher’s Funeral" by Richard Peck
Mr. Hilton is all for crowing about the size of the state’s economy.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 29, 2026
Foghorn also gets one of the film’s best zingers, crowing that Acme is “a company of family values that values its family of companies.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 26, 2026
But the deal he’s now crowing about ensures only that the U.S and Iran will talk about new nuclear limits.
From Slate ● Jun. 15, 2026
While crowing about its Pentagon projects, IonQ hasn’t highlighted that the majority of them weren’t funded in the last two federal budgets, Wolfpack says.
From Barron's ● Feb. 4, 2026
Not even roosters crowing and men clomping right by his ear wake him.
From "Blood on the River" by Elisa Carbone
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.
