sparrow

[spar-oh]

noun

1. any of numerous American finches of the family Emberizinae.

2. 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.

3. British.,  the house sparrow.

4. any of several other unrelated small birds.

5. Military.,  Sparrow, a 12-foot (4-meter), all-weather, radar-guided U.S. air-to-air missile with an 88-pound (40-kilogram) high-explosive warhead.

sparrow

/ ˈspærəʊ /

noun

1. 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

2. any of various North American finches, such as the chipping sparrow ( Spizella passerina ), that have a dullish streaked plumage

Other Word Forms

• sparrowless adjective
• sparrowlike adjective
• sparrow-like adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of sparrow¹

First recorded before 900; Middle English sparowe, Old English spearwa; cognate with Gothic sparwa, Old Norse spǫrr

Word History and Origins

Origin of sparrow¹

Old English spearwa; related to Old Norse spörr, Old High German sparo

Example Sentences

In India, he said, the challenge is compounded by a decline in birds like the goraiya, commonly known as the house sparrow, which are increasingly being displaced by pigeons.

From BBC

But then I noticed the sparrows making a racket overhead.

From Salon

I sit here now, facing the feeder I hung outside my office window, watching the sparrows, bluejays, cardinals and grackles eating the seeds I put out for them and I feel . . . something.

From Salon

In contrast, sparrows, which depend on human food waste, nearly vanished from high-rise areas.

From Los Angeles Times

This book really changed my opinion on house sparrows.

From Salon