sparrow
noun
spar·row
| \ ˈsper-(ˌ)ō
, ˈspa-(ˌ)rō\
, ˈspa-(ˌ)rō\
Definition of sparrow
1
: any of a genus (Passer of the family Passeridae) of small chiefly brownish or grayish Old World oscine songbirds that include some which have been widely introduced
especially
: house sparrow
2
: any of numerous finches (family Emberizidae) that are New World birds (such as the song sparrow or tree sparrow) resembling the Old World sparrows
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Other Words from sparrow
sparrowlike
\ ˈsper-(ˌ)ō-ˌlīk
, -ə-ˌlīk ; ˈspa-(ˌ)rō-ˌlīk , -rə-ˌlīk \
adjective
, -ə-ˌlīk ; ˈspa-(ˌ)rō-ˌlīk , -rə-ˌlīk \
adjective
Examples of sparrow in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Last week, there was a little blue heron, a Nelson’s sparrow, and a Hudsonian godwit. — BostonGlobe.com, "Bird sightings across the region," 26 Aug. 2019 On Tuesday, Bradbrook, who is forty-seven, took the stage just after 5 P.M., wearing a turquoise top, flared jeans, and a large earring fashioned from a sparrow’s wing. — Sam Knight, The New Yorker, "Does Extinction Rebellion Have the Solution to the Climate Crisis?," 21 July 2019 There is also people-watching — my favorite sport — plus the pastoral canyon light, the doves and sparrows, the black sage and sugarbush on the hill. — Los Angeles Times, "Hollywood Bowl rehearsals are a soothing morning escape. And they’re free," 1 Aug. 2019 Most sparrows carried the parasite, but the quantity of parasites found in each bird’s system was significantly higher in declining populations, especially in younger birds, the team found. — Kelly Mayes, Science | AAAS, "Researchers think they know what’s killing London’s iconic sparrow," 16 July 2019 Scientists collected 3 years of data from 11 sparrow colonies around London where the birds breed. — Kelly Mayes, Science | AAAS, "Researchers think they know what’s killing London’s iconic sparrow," 16 July 2019 And this is one of the most better spots for the plump, sparrow-size shorebirds. — Washington Post, "Rising waters in the Great Lakes puts endangered shorebird at greater risk," 17 June 2019 Only such substantial alterations on a short timescale, the story went, could account for the sudden transformation from a 300-pound theropod to the sparrow-size prehistoric bird Iberomesornis. — Quanta Magazine, "How Dinosaurs Shrank and Became Birds," 2 June 2015 Researchers are working with landowners in the state to preserve some of the last vital habitats available for grassland birds, like the bobolink, Savannah sparrow and meadowlark. — USA TODAY, "Kacey Musgraves, sneaker flap, skiing in July: News from around our 50 states," 3 July 2019These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'sparrow.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
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More Definitions for sparrow
sparrow
noun
English Language Learners Definition of sparrow
: a common type of small bird that usually has brown or gray feathers
See the full definition for sparrow in the English Language Learners Dictionary
sparrow
noun
spar·row
| \ ˈsper-ō
\
\
Kids Definition of sparrow
: a small songbird that has usually brownish or grayish feathers
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