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.
Perhaps the same will be true with “Obsession”; Curry Barker’s copycats will try and fail to interpret the trials of dating when personality is a facade, and I’ll be left eating crow.
From Salon ● Jul. 22, 2026
Mbappe had left, the three Lamine Yamals had long since shot the crow.
From BBC ● Jun. 27, 2026
Most microraptors were quite small, with some species reaching only about the size of a crow.
From Science Daily ● Jun. 23, 2026
It was only when samples arrived at the biomedical research laboratory in the capital Kinshasa -- nearly 1,800 kilometres away as the crow flies -- that the Ebola outbreak was confirmed.
From Barron's ● May 24, 2026
The crow, who had been watching all this activity, turned a beady glance on his owner and flapped his wings with such vigor that Gurgi roused himself in alarm.
From "The Black Cauldron" by Lloyd Alexander
These explored difficult aspects of American history — including slavery and Jim Crow — but also touched on more personal themes of family, memory, magic and spirituality.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 27, 2026
But that is not, in fact, how Harlan meant it: In context, his broader argument was that permitting Jim Crow segregation would authorize a racial “caste” forbidden by the 14th Amendment.
From Slate ● Jun. 22, 2026
Trammell Crow, the owner of the McKinney Avenue site, didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 22, 2026
Kit Tricks, whose 25-year-old sibling Crow Walt Tricks who is on trial, told the BBC Crow was alone in a cell for 22 hours a day.
From BBC ● May 28, 2026
Martin Luther King, Jr., at the Woolworth’s lunch counter in Durham, shut down by students protesting Jim Crow segregation on February 8, 1960.
From "The Best of Enemies" by Osha Gray Davidson
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
There is a chance the crisis widens, its unknowables blooming into view, the crows coming home to roost.
From Slate ● Mar. 6, 2026
Birds, from pigeons and crows to the more rare roseate spoonbill, were the inspiration.
From BBC ● Jan. 29, 2026
The crows retreated to the trees at the edge of the yard, cocking their heads silently, waiting.
From "Out of Darkness" by Ashley Hope Pérez
The 29-year-old has been named in the GB1 team for next year's event, which will be the first edition in its 175-year history to require at least one woman in each five-person crew.
From BBC ● Aug. 5, 2026
The Los Angeles County Fire Department, for example, sent an eight-person camp team and a three-person dozer crew to the Spokane wildfires on Monday, according to a department spokesperson.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 4, 2026
"As the captain, I had to keep reassuring my crew, along with my wife and children back home, who spent many sleepless nights worrying about us."
From Barron's ● Aug. 4, 2026
This summer, she launched the Brighter Days Ahead Foundation, a mental health initiative to support groups including the crew and performers on her current tour.
From BBC ● Aug. 3, 2026
Designated Save 82, this crew was there to pick up one more person: a geologist.
From "Mountain of Fire" by Rebecca E. F. Barone
“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
Colbert crowed in a subsequent “Late Show” monologue, which happened to land the week before the 2024 Emmys telecast.
From Salon ● Jul. 20, 2025
“That’s it! I know without your sayin’ it,” she crowed.
From "Across Five Aprils" by Irene Hunt
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
It was first to publicly announce an end to the exchange with Israel and avoided crowing about the downing of the Apache as it had when other American aircraft were shot down.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 10, 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
It will never lose its potency as a crowing statement of devotion.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 11, 2025
Upon hearing this, Will and John broke into great laughter and patted him on the back, crowing out the motto, tilting comedically, embracing him until he too laughed.
From "The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing, Traitor to the Nation, Volume II: The Kingdom on the Waves" by M.T. Anderson
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.
