parrot

[ par-uht ]

See synonyms for: parrot parroted parroting on Thesaurus.com

noun

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

verb (used with object)

to repeat or imitate without thought or understanding.
to teach to repeat or imitate in such a fashion.

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

Other words from parrot

par·rot·like, adjective
par·rot·y, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use parrot in a sentence

First, all three essentially parroted each other by first offering up some scary comments on Ebola.
Republicans Want You Scared of Ebola | Dean Obeidallah | October 27, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST
Liebman calls it a “lie” that was frequently “parroted” by legislators on the floor of the state House and Senate.
Should Tony the Truck Stop Tiger Go Free? | Melissa Leon | June 28, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST
In recent years, this idea has been parroted so often that it's become known as the “Washington consensus.”
America Can Want Peace More | Aaron Mann | March 19, 2013 | THE DAILY BEAST
It does not follow that opinions must be merely parroted because they are never heard controverted.
On Liberty | John Stuart Mill
"Prosecution agrees to accept the present court," Goodham parroted.
Lone Star Planet | Henry Beam Piper and John Joseph McGuire

And in the meantime his paid mouthpieces parroted everywhere the words in which they had been drilled.
Winner Take All | Larry Evans
Here is an old one whose sentiments have been often parroted by unthinking humans of modern times.
Mother Earth, Vol. 1 No. 4, June 1906 | Various
Obligingly she parroted over to Fibsy the lingo of the message.
The Mark of Cain | Carolyn Wells

British Dictionary definitions for parrot

parrot

/ (ˈpærət) /

noun

any bird of the tropical and subtropical order Psittaciformes, having a short hooked bill, compact body, bright plumage, and an ability to mimic sounds: Related adjective: psittacine
a person who repeats or imitates the words or actions of another unintelligently

sick as a parrot usually facetious extremely disappointed

verb-rots, -roting or -roted

(tr) to repeat or imitate mechanically without understanding

Origin of parrot

C16: probably from French paroquet; see parakeet

Derived forms of parrot

parrotry, noun

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

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