parrot

American  

[par-uht] / ˈpær ət /

noun

parrots plural

1. 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.

2. a person who, without thought or understanding, merely repeats the words or imitates the actions of another.

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verb (used with object)

parrots, present (3rd person singular) parroted, past participle, past parroting present participle

1. to repeat or imitate without thought or understanding.

2. to teach to repeat or imitate in such a fashion.

parrot British  

/ ˈpærət /

noun

1. any bird of the tropical and subtropical order Psittaciformes, having a short hooked bill, compact body, bright plumage, and an ability to mimic sounds

2. a person who repeats or imitates the words or actions of another unintelligently

3. facetious extremely disappointed

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verb

1. (tr) to repeat or imitate mechanically without understanding

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• parrotry
  noun
• parrotlike
  adjective
• parroty
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• parrots
  plural

Participles

• parroting
  present
• parroted
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• parrot
  simple
• parrots
  simple
• have parroted
  perfect
• has parroted
  perfect
• am parroting
  progressive
• are parroting
  progressive
• is parroting
  progressive
• have been parroting
  perfect progressive
• has been parroting
  perfect progressive

Past

• parroted
  simple
• had parroted
  perfect
• was parroting
  progressive
• were parroting
  progressive
• had been parroting
  perfect progressive

Future

• will parrot
  simple
• will have parroted
  perfect
• will be parroting
  progressive
• will have been parroting
  perfect progressive

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.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

parrot parrots parroted parroting

Some get on the bandwagon, happy to parrot whatever they’re told will preserve their careers.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 13, 2026

Today, the kākāpō is the world's only flightless parrot.

From Science Daily ● Jun. 23, 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

How Bruce the beakless parrot became an alpha male.

From MarketWatch ● Apr. 21, 2026

"Thank you, sir," I say, and because it just doesn't sound like enough, I say it again a few times, as if I'm a parrot.

From "Born Behind Bars" by Padma Venkatraman

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 researchers also found strong evidence that some parrots were not simply applying names to broad groups such as "people."

From Science Daily ● Jun. 14, 2026

The recordings revealed that parrots do not always use names the way humans do.

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

When I was eight years old, a flock of wild, green- rumped parrots moved into the fishtail palm tree by the back wooden fence.

From "Counting by 7s" by Holly Goldberg Sloan

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

Mr. Musk, for his part, has parroted this concern.

From Washington Times ● Jul. 4, 2023

Scott parroted this point in his opening statement Tuesday.

From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 17, 2023

“Bisguier also my second,” parroted Bobby, trying to duplicate Benko’s Magyar accent.

From "Endgame" by Frank Brady

But at the same time he’s abetting the union campaign by parroting their arguments.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 28, 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

A rallying cry soon came from @ladyfromtheoutside, a TikTok creator who found inspiration in Ms. Kalil’s parroting of Marie Antoinette.

From New York Times ● May 17, 2024

“Love can’t kill me,” I say, parroting Carla’s words.

From "Everything, Everything" by Nicola Yoon

Related Words

• recite