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
-
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
-
am parrotingprogressive
-
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:
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
A family once tried to sneak a pet parrot into the buffet, tucking it into a wagon next to their small child.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 24, 2026
To explore the question, the researchers turned to data from the ManyParrots project, a collaborative network that studies parrot learning, cognition, and vocal behavior through surveys and audio recordings.
From Science Daily ● Jun. 14, 2026
He was Sam the Eagle, our national bird transformed by a Disney artist, and to some eyes bearing a slight resemblance to an earlier Disney avian character, a parrot.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 6, 2026
Doctor Dolittle’s parrot, Polynesia, tells us that in order to learn animal language we must have “powers of observation.”
From "My Life with the Chimpanzees" by Jane Goodall
Thankfully, Jimmy knew of a nest being built on the outskirts of Bishop Auckland which would happily take in the giggle of galahs, alongside its impending parliament of owls and pandemonium of parrots.
From BBC ● Jul. 19, 2026
The recordings revealed that parrots do not always use names the way humans do.
From Science Daily ● Jun. 14, 2026
Working with longtime collaborator Christine Dahlin of the University of Pittsburgh at Johnstown and researchers from Austria, Benedict examined vocal recordings from more than 880 captive parrots.
From Science Daily ● Jun. 14, 2026
NatureScot said it was not known why parrots, and other birds, eat or dismantle windscreen wipers.
From BBC ● Jun. 2, 2026
Some birds, such as parrots, are known to be good talkers, but to Penelope’s knowledge there had never been a great orator among them.
From "The Interrupted Tale" by Maryrose Wood
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
Fittingly, “Collective” has more than one protagonist, although its principal hero is Catalin Tolontan, a journalist at a sports newspaper who asks tough questions of bureaucrats who appear used to having their official line parroted.
From New York Times ● Jan. 30, 2024
Aunt Sera began to sing, and Ella parroted her melody.
From "The Marvellers" by Dhonielle Clayton
“People are coming into a therapist’s office and parroting what they hear on social media,” Anderson says.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 21, 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
There are verbal routines in “Godot” that Abbott and Costello would have been right at home parroting and physical comedy sequences that Laurel and Hardy would have gladly taken a tumble for.
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 15, 2024
Waker once said something very interesting to me on that subject—in fact, I’m merely parroting what he said to me.
From "Franny and Zooey" by J. D. Salinger
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.
