[spar-oh] 
| 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. |
| 3. | British. the house sparrow. |
| 4. | any of several other unrelated small birds. Compare Java sparrow, hedge sparrow. |
| 5. | (initial capital letter ) Military. a 12-ft. (4-m), all-weather, radar-guided U.S. air-to-air missile with an 88-lb. (40-kg) high-explosive warhead. |