sparrow
any of numerous American finches of the family Emberizinae.: Compare chipping sparrow, song sparrow.
any member of the Old World genus Passer, formerly thought to be closely related to the weaverbirds but now placed in their own family, Passeridae.
British. the house sparrow.
any of several other unrelated small birds.: Compare Java sparrow, hedge sparrow.
Sparrow, Military. a 12-foot (4-meter), all-weather, radar-guided U.S. air-to-air missile with an 88-pound (40-kilogram) high-explosive warhead.
Origin of sparrow
1Other words from sparrow
- spar·row·less, adjective
- spar·row·like, adjective
Words Nearby sparrow
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
How to use sparrow in a sentence
On weekdays, my home office is quiet, save for the sounds of sparrows.
They even make it harder for sparrows to fight off West Nile virus.
Night lights make even the seas bright | Carolyn Gramling | April 27, 2022 | Science News For StudentsThe fan of feathers at the base of its tail would have resembled those typically observed in present-day birds such as pigeons or sparrows.
This 120-million-year-old bird may have been one of the first to shake its tail feathers | Kate Baggaley | September 17, 2021 | Popular-ScienceIn the new study, Rogalla and colleagues turned to sunbirds, nectar-feeding birds typically smaller than sparrows that are native to Africa, Asia and Australia.
Sunbirds’ dazzling feathers are hot, in both senses of the word | Jake Buehler | August 17, 2021 | Science NewsOut my window, the sparrows were chirping excitedly, not ready to call it a day.
An Existential Crisis in Neuroscience - Issue 94: Evolving | Grigori Guitchounts | December 30, 2020 | Nautilus
“No eyes are on the sparrow, eyes are on the sparrow / He is singing anyway.”
Before she finished I began to paint, and she resumed the pose, smiling and chattering like a sparrow.
Read ‘The King in Yellow,’ the ‘True Detective’ Reference That’s the Key to the Show | Robert W. Chambers | February 20, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTA man “in traditional Alpine costume” addresses a group of children while holding a sparrow.
I can hear her now warbling her own rendition of "His Eye Is on the sparrow."
But she is a girl, and she does not mind her jack-sparrow being a trifle headstrong, if only he has a kind heart.
Child Life In Town And Country | Anatole FranceOver near Neighbour Brown's fence they were peeping through the green leaves at the song-sparrow's nest.
Seven O'Clock Stories | Robert Gordon AndersonA song sparrow was singing out by the road, and the thin, sweet flutings of a Peabody came from the pasture.
The Idyl of Twin Fires | Walter Prichard EatonA magnificent view is had from sparrow Hill; the ascent is made by a steep and tortuous road.
Ways of War and Peace | Delia AustrianWas the girl going away any real part of the strength and beauty of the old sparrow place?
Growing Up | Jennie M. Drinkwater
British Dictionary definitions for sparrow
/ (ˈspærəʊ) /
any weaverbird of the genus Passer and related genera, esp the house sparrow, having a brown or grey plumage and feeding on seeds or insects
US and Canadian any of various North American finches, such as the chipping sparrow (Spizella passerina), that have a dullish streaked plumage
Origin of sparrow
1Other words from sparrow
- Related adjective: passerine
- See also hedge sparrow, tree sparrow, song sparrow
Derived forms of sparrow
- sparrow-like, adjective
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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