parrot
Americannoun
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parrots
plural
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any of numerous hook-billed, often brilliantly colored birds of the order Psittaciformes, as the cockatoo, lory, macaw, or parakeet, having the ability to mimic speech and often kept as pets.
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a person who, without thought or understanding, merely repeats the words or imitates the actions of another.
verb (used with object)
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parrots,
present (3rd person singular)
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parroted,
past participle, past
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parroting
present participle
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to repeat or imitate without thought or understanding.
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to teach to repeat or imitate in such a fashion.
noun
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any bird of the tropical and subtropical order Psittaciformes, having a short hooked bill, compact body, bright plumage, and an ability to mimic sounds
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a person who repeats or imitates the words or actions of another unintelligently
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facetious extremely disappointed
verb
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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parrotsimple
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parrotssimple
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have parrotedperfect
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has parrotedperfect
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am parrotingprogressive
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are parrotingprogressive
-
is parrotingprogressive
-
have been parrotingperfect progressive
-
has been parrotingperfect progressive
Past
-
parrotedsimple
-
had parrotedperfect
-
was parrotingprogressive
-
were parrotingprogressive
-
had been parrotingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of parrot
1515–25; apparently < Middle French P ( i ) errot, diminutive of Pierre ( see parakeet), though a comparable sense of the French word is not known until the 18th century
Explanation
A parrot is a brightly colored tropical bird with a distinctly loud voice. If you see someone calling a colorful bird "Polly" and asking it if it wants a cracker, that's a parrot. Parrots are popular pets because many of them have the ability to mimic sounds they hear, sometimes including human speech. In fact, this skill has led to a secondary meaning of the word parrot, "mimic mindlessly." You could say, for example, "I'm not going to just parrot everything the teacher says — I'm no parrot." The origin of the word is uncertain, although we know that before parrot, this bird was called a popinjay.
Vocabulary lists containing parrot
A Vocabulary Bestiary: Animals That Behave as Verbs
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Amazing Animals, A-Z
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Amazing Animals, List 3
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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:
But Harbaugh—who loves to parrot the phrase “Who’s got it better than us? Nobody!”—is known for his optimistic streak.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 21, 2026
They recovered 233 dogs, 66 cats, one goose, one parrot, one pig, one rabbit and two goats; all are being kept in county facilities as evidence in the case against De Anda.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 18, 2026
The illegal collection and trafficking of parrot eggs posed "a serious threat to wild bird populations and animal welfare", it added.
From BBC ● Aug. 26, 2026
And catching bird flu can push our most threatened species, such as the orange-bellied parrot, to the brink of extinction.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 24, 2026
I sound like a parrot, repeating everything she says.
From "Finding Langston" by Lesa Cline-Ransome
A man who lives in a log cabin and keeps wallabies, mongooses, porcupines, parrots and other rare birds has been told to move.
From BBC ● Oct. 9, 2026
Known for his math skills and obsession with exotic parrots, Lemssouguer has faced big swings before, given his penchant for taking large stakes in companies in turmoil.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 8, 2026
Fifty eggs suspected to be those of endangered parrots were intercepted at South Africa's main airport in Johannesburg last Thursday - and some of them have now hatched.
From BBC ● Aug. 26, 2026
The team analyzed survey information from more than 889 parrots.
From Science Daily ● Jun. 14, 2026
Bathilda also parrots the family line on Ariana, calling her “frail” and “delicate.”
From "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows" by J.K. Rowling
Throughout the show, fans shook lightsticks, parroted Katseye's dance moves and, in some cases, spontaneously burst into tears.
From BBC ● Sep. 4, 2026
The expenses that Pentagon officials cited in congressional testimony and that then were parroted in media coverage are much lower than the costs the U.S. public will be forced to pay.
From MarketWatch ● May 28, 2026
Between songs, the camera cut to Jackson, who took on the voice of white America and parroted things that close-minded critics might say about the first solo rap artist to perform at the Super Bowl.
From Salon ● Feb. 10, 2025
Scott parroted this point in his opening statement Tuesday.
From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 17, 2023
The girls parroted him, but I said nothing.
From "Gone Crazy in Alabama" by Rita Williams-Garcia
Pochettino has been parroting “Miracle,” the movie about the 1980 Olympics, and coach Herb Brooks’s message about needing the right players, not necessarily the best ones.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 1, 2026
Robinson, whose real name is Stephen Yaxley-Lennon, addressed the crowds where he criticised politicians for "parroting" his ideas.
From BBC ● Sep. 14, 2025
A 2025 study from researchers at the Max Planck Institute for Human Development determined that podcasters and YouTubers have lately been parroting A.I.’s favorite words, including delve.
From Slate ● Aug. 20, 2025
Doncic seemed stunned when Finley grabbed the can, refraining from parroting the description of the only official NBA-approved beer that Billy Bob Thornton’s Tommy Norris character told a bartender in “Landman.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 27, 2025
They all hold back their laughter this time, for of course, Maria Teresa is parroting her big sister’s plans.
From "In the Time of the Butterflies" by Julia Alvarez
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.
