parrot

[ par-uht ]

/ ˈpær ət /

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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.

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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, adjectivepar·rot·y, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2022

How to use parrot in a sentence

This requires not just teaching to the test and not just parroting critiques.
The Elite American College Pile-On|Michael S. Roth|September 15, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Over there, “journalists,” such as they are, literally survive by parroting the government.
Meet the Censors, Propagandists and Outright Liars Who Won Putin’s Pulitzers|James Kirchick|May 5, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Some of what they said sounded like a rhetorical, if earnest, parroting of notions they'd heard from teachers.
Talking to Women of the Wall's Ultra-Orthodox Teenage Protesters|Elisheva Goldberg|November 6, 2013|DAILY BEAST
They are parroting the old party line that always puts special interests ahead of the national interest.
Obama, Boehner & Congress Need to Get Fiscal-Cliff Deal Done Now|John Avlon|December 19, 2012|DAILY BEAST

Parroting another government line, the article raises the specter of a Russian intervention if postelection unrest flares.
Will Scandalous Videos Topple Georgia’s President? A Rebuttal|Tedo Japaridze|September 24, 2012|DAILY BEAST
One of my draft is killed and five wounded and here everyone is parroting about a Merry Christmas.
Letters from Mesopotamia|Robert Palmer
That statement was made and I think it was—he was probably parroting somebody else that made the statement previously.
Warren Commission (8 of 26): Hearings Vol. VIII (of 15)|The President's Commission on the Assassination of President Kennedy
Later he put it into Altrurian, and I memorized it, and made myself immensely popular by parroting it.
Through the Eye of the Needle|William Dean Howells
The mere intonation of words unaccompanied by a strict knowledge of "that dumb, silent language," Pantomime, is only parroting.
A History of Pantomime|R. J. Broadbent
"My translator is working badly," the voice of the elder was parroting.
The Ties That Bind|Walter Miller

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 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 forms of parrot

parrotry, 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

parrot

Origin of parrot

OTHER WORDS FROM parrot

Words related to parrot

How to use parrot in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for parrot

Derived forms of parrot

Word Origin for parrot