parrot

[par-uh t]

See more synonyms for parrot 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

Related formspar·rot·like, adjectivepar·rot·y, adjective

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

Related Words for parroted

recite, copycat, imitate, quote, reiterate, echo, mimic, mime, chant, copy, ape

Examples from the Web for parroted

Contemporary Examples of parroted

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
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

Historical Examples of parroted

But now he parroted with unconscious irony the phrases he had once so admired.
In a Little Town
Rupert Hughes
Obligingly she parroted over to Fibsy the lingo of the message.
The Mark of Cain
Carolyn Wells
Joe, under his breath, parroted the words of the Sov officer.
Frigid Fracas
Dallas McCord Reynolds
"Don't do anything you'd be sorry for," he parroted, sarcastical, the young man's recent admonition to the captain.
The Black Bag
Louis Joseph Vance
Lorry pulled her eyes down to the cherubic little face as she parroted dully.
I'll Kill You Tomorrow
Helen Huber

British Dictionary definitions for parroted

parrot

noun

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

Derived Formsparrotry, noun

Word Origin for parrot

C16: probably from French paroquet; see parakeet

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

Word Origin and History for parroted

parrot

"repeat without understanding," 1590s, from parrot (n.). Related: Parroted; parroting.

parrot

1520s, of uncertain origin, perhaps from dialectal Middle French perrot, from a variant of Pierre "Peter;" or perhaps a dialectal form of perroquet (see parakeet). Replaced earlier popinjay. The German naturalist Alexander von Humboldt in South America in 1800 encountered a very old parrot that was the sole speaker of a dead Indian language, the original tribe having gone extinct.