sparrow

[ spar-oh ]
/ ˈspær oʊ /

noun

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

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Origin of sparrow

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

OTHER WORDS FROM sparrow

spar·row·less, adjectivespar·row·like, adjective

Words nearby sparrow

sparks, sparky, sparling, sparoid, sparring partner, sparrow, sparrow hawk, sparrowfart, sparrowgrass, sparrowhawk, sparry
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020

Example sentences from the Web for sparrow

British Dictionary definitions for sparrow

sparrow
/ (ˈspærəʊ) /

noun

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
See also hedge sparrow, tree sparrow, song sparrow

Other words from sparrow

Related adjective: passerine

Derived forms of sparrow

sparrow-like, adjective

Word Origin for sparrow

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