sparrow

[ spar-oh ]

noun
  1. any of numerous American finches of the family Emberizinae.: Compare chipping sparrow, song sparrow.

  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.

  1. British. the house sparrow.

  2. any of several other unrelated small birds.: Compare Java sparrow, hedge sparrow.

  3. 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

1
First recorded before 900; Middle English sparowe, Old English spearwa; cognate with Gothic sparwa, Old Norse spǫrr

Other 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. 2024

How to use sparrow in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for sparrow

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. 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

1
Old English spearwa; related to Old Norse spörr, Old High German sparo

Other words from sparrow

  • Related adjective: passerine

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