parrot

[ par-uht ]
See synonyms for: parrotparrotedparroting on Thesaurus.com

noun
  1. any of numerous hook-billed, often brilliantly colored birds of the order Psittaciformes, as the cockatoo, lory, macaw, or parakeet, having the ability to mimic speech and often kept as pets.

  2. a person who, without thought or understanding, merely repeats the words or imitates the actions of another.

verb (used with object)
  1. to repeat or imitate without thought or understanding.

  2. to teach to repeat or imitate in such a fashion.

Origin of parrot

1
1515–25; apparently <Middle French P(i)errot, diminutive of Pierre (see parakeet), though a comparable sense of the French word is not known until the 18th century

Other words from parrot

  • par·rot·like, adjective
  • par·rot·y, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use parrot in a sentence

  • One of my draft is killed and five wounded and here everyone is parroting about a Merry Christmas.

    Letters from Mesopotamia | Robert Palmer
  • That statement was made and I think it was—he was probably parroting somebody else that made the statement previously.

    Warren Commission (8 of 26): Hearings Vol. VIII (of 15) | The President's Commission on the Assassination of President Kennedy
  • Later he put it into Altrurian, and I memorized it, and made myself immensely popular by parroting it.

    Through the Eye of the Needle | William Dean Howells
  • The mere intonation of words unaccompanied by a strict knowledge of "that dumb, silent language," Pantomime, is only parroting.

    A History of Pantomime | R. J. Broadbent
  • "My translator is working badly," the voice of the elder was parroting.

    The Ties That Bind | Walter Miller

British Dictionary definitions for parrot

parrot

/ (ˈpærət) /


noun
  1. any bird of the tropical and subtropical order Psittaciformes, having a short hooked bill, compact body, bright plumage, and an ability to mimic sounds: Related adjective: psittacine

  2. a person who repeats or imitates the words or actions of another unintelligently

  1. sick as a parrot usually facetious extremely disappointed

verb-rots, -roting or -roted
  1. (tr) to repeat or imitate mechanically without understanding

Origin of parrot

1
C16: probably from French paroquet; see parakeet

Derived forms of parrot

  • parrotry, noun

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