house sparrow

noun

a small, hardy, buffy-brown and gray bird, Passer domesticus, of Europe, introduced into America, Australia, etc.

Origin of house sparrow

First recorded in 1665–75

Also called English sparrow.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Examples from the Web for house sparrow

Historical Examples of house sparrow

The house-sparrow, like the house-crow, is a bird of the plains rather than of the hills.
Birds of the Indian Hills
Douglas Dewar
The remainder of the plumage is very like that of the house-sparrow.
Birds of the Indian Hills
Douglas Dewar
The house-sparrow and the bullfinch are the chief, but not the only, enemies.
The Book of Pears and Plums
Edward Bartrum
It is not at all the same kind of bird as the house-sparrow, for it is one of the warblers.
Woodside
Caroline Hadley
Innumerable instances in all Orders could be given; it will suffice to call to mind the common pheasant, duck, and house-sparrow.
The Descent of Man and Selection in Relation to Sex
Charles Darwin

British Dictionary definitions for house sparrow

house sparrow

noun

a small Eurasian weaverbird, Passer domesticus, now established in North America and Australia. It has a brown streaked plumage with grey underpartsAlso called (US): English sparrow

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