sire

American  

[sahy^uhr] / saɪər /

noun

1. the male parent of a quadruped.

2. a respectful term of address, now used only to a male sovereign.

3. Archaic.

   1. a father or forefather.

   2. a person of importance or in a position of authority, as a lord.

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verb (used with object)

sired, siring

1. to beget; procreate as the father.

sire British  

/ saɪə /

noun

1. a male parent, esp of a horse or other domestic animal

2. a respectful term of address, now used only in addressing a male monarch

3. obsolete a man of high rank

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verb

1. (tr) (esp of a domestic animal) to father; beget

Other Word Forms

• sireless
  adjective

Etymology

Origin of sire

1175–1225; Middle English < Old French (nominative singular) < Vulgar Latin *seior, for Latin senior senior (compare French monsieur originally, my lord, with sieur < *seiōr-, oblique stem of *seior )

Explanation

A sire is an animal's father. A newborn foal might look very much like his sire, with a white stripe on his brown face. Every once in a while, the word sire is used for a human — your dad is your sire — but it's much more common to find this word describing an animal's male parent. It's also a verb, meaning "to father," as in "My prize pig sires the cutest piglets." In the old days, you'd also use sire to directly address a nobleman or a king. It comes from the Latin word senior, "elder."

Example Sentences

When Seymour Stein, then the president of Sire Records, first heard the Ramones, a band formed in 1974 in the Forest Hills section of Queens, N.Y., he nearly laughed.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 27, 2026

The Ramones had a deal with Sire by late 1975, and the quartet went on to define punk’s stagecraft and minimalist garage-band sound.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 27, 2026

His most famous victory came in 2014, when he rode Sire De Grugy to victory at the Queen Mother Champion Chase.

From BBC • Feb. 23, 2024

Stein’s Sire label was home to iconic punk and new wave acts the Ramones, Talking Heads and the Pretenders, and, most famously, to pop singer Madonna.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 3, 2023

"Chide him no more, Sire, if it please you," said Lord Darrin.

From "The Horse and His Boy" by C.S. Lewis