scarecrow

[ skair-kroh ]

noun

1. an object, usually a figure of a person in old clothes, set up to frighten crows crow or other birds away from crops.
2. anything frightening but not really dangerous.
3. a person in ragged clothes.
4. an extremely thin person.

scarecrow

/ ˈskɛəˌkrəʊ /

noun

1. an object, usually in the shape of a man, made out of sticks and old clothes to scare birds away from crops
2. a person or thing that appears frightening but is not actually harmful
3. informal.
   1. an untidy-looking person
   2. a very thin person

Other Words From

• scarecrowish scarecrowy adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of scarecrow¹

First recorded in 1545–55; scare + crow ¹

Example Sentences

On the way, he shoulder-checks a scarecrow hung crooked on its post.

From Science News For Students

They dream of a human scarecrow, by far the movie’s most horrifying image, and of that set of silver choppers.

From Time

These include setting up electric fences, training a guard animal like a dog to warn you of any intruding bears, rigging motion-sensing strobe lights to go off when they detect a bear, placing scarecrows around your property, and many more.

From Popular-Science

The idea is that the mere presence of police should prevent people from committing crimes — a sort of scarecrow effect.

From Vox

You should look like a scarecrow on the yellow-brick road, but you should also be warm by the time you are done.

From Popular-Science

It would be like if after the 40th pipe in Flappy Bird was a scarecrow.

From The Daily Beast

There, the beloved characters would emerge: the Cowardly Lion singing about courage and the Scarecrow dancing with the crows.

From The Daily Beast

It was rumored that Howard Stern would play Scarecrow and Madonna would play Harley Quinn.

From The Daily Beast

There's no Judy Garland songs, no Scarecrow, no Tin Man, no Cowardly Lion.

From The Daily Beast

His size 22 feet splayed out in front of him, he resembles an oversize version of the scarecrow in The Wizard of Oz.

From The Daily Beast

It is at best but a worn-out scarecrow shaking its vain rags in the wind.

From Project Gutenberg

For as a scarecrow in a garden of cucumbers keepeth nothing, so are their gods of wood, and of silver, and laid over with gold.

From Project Gutenberg

"Silly," said Jehosophat, for he was older than Marmaduke and knew Mr. Scarecrow very well.

From Project Gutenberg

Woot watched this operation with much interest, for the Scarecrow's body was only a suit of clothes filled with straw.

From Project Gutenberg

The Scarecrow's head was a gunnysack filled with bran, on which the eyes, nose and mouth had been painted.

From Project Gutenberg

Related Words

• spectacle