chirped; chirping; chirps
1
intransitive
: to make a chirp or a sound resembling a chirp
chirping birds
… he had listened many times to the sound of grasshoppers chirping in the grass, and he had always liked the noise that they made.—
Roald Dahl
Roald Dahl… Jesse Levine was luxuriating at home in Boca Raton last month when his cellphone chirped.—L. Jon Wertheim
L. Jon Wertheim2
transitive
: to utter (something) with a cheerful liveliness
She sang three songs … and chirped "Goodbye everybody! See you tomorrow!"—Garrison Keillor
Garrison Keillor3
intransitive
informal
: to make sharply critical, complaining, or taunting remarks
Emotions boiled over for Panthers quarterback Cam Newton and cornerback Josh Norman after the two chirped at each other consistently for two weeks.—Ben Volin
Ben VolinAfter the fight, which McLeod more or less won, the two chirped at each other in the penalty box …—USA Today
USA Today… some of his teammates chirped about the officiating …—Jack McCallum
Jack McCallum
: the characteristic short sharp sound especially of a small bird or insect
Synonyms
Examples of chirp in a Sentence
Verb
The birds were chirping in the trees.
We heard the crickets chirping.
Recent Examples on the WebBenjamin Collins, arkansasonline.com, 5 Apr. 2024
Most of the birds stopped chirping and singing when the sunlight dimmed.
—Trilce Estrada Olvera, The Arizona Republic, 10 Apr. 2024
And even without a sense of sight, eclipses are visceral: Some birds cease chirping; watchful humans will hoot and holler.
—Marina Koren, The Atlantic, 8 Apr. 2024
During the ephemeral darkness of the total eclipse, some daytime animals may fall silent, while nocturnal creatures such as crickets may begin to chirp and stir.
—Ashley Strickland, CNN, 8 Apr. 2024
People who are in parts of the country exposed to total eclipse might notice that birds will abruptly stop chirping.
—Gary Robbins, San Diego Union-Tribune, 5 Apr. 2024
The birds are chirping, the bees are buzzing, and your TV watching queue is getting longer.
—Kelly Lawler, USA TODAY, 25 Mar. 2024
Yes, the sun might be glancing off the snowdrifts, and the birds may be chirping away with blithe exuberance.
—Celine Nguyen, The Atlantic, 20 Mar. 2024
Be one with the birds in Altadena With spring nearly here, the hills are lush and the birds are chirping.
—Michael Charboneau, Los Angeles Times, 7 Mar. 2024
Jen Guyton, Smithsonian Magazine, 3 Apr. 2024
Besides bird chirps, owl hoots and racoons searching for food, the rumble of car engines firing up as campers head home may be strangely absent.
—Peter Valdes-Dapena, CNN, 31 Mar. 2024
Dry lines of flute and clarinet were bothered only by the intrusive chirp of someone’s unmuted notifications.
—Michael Andor Brodeur, Washington Post, 15 Mar. 2024
Their 2018 debut New Bois overflows with quirky genre hallmarks including cartoonish auto-tune and Nextel chirps, and even a couple of features from Polimá Westcoast.
—Richard Villegas, Rolling Stone, 1 Apr. 2024
The place buzzed with chirps and cries and calls and howls.
—Paul Brady, Travel + Leisure, 23 Mar. 2024
Staff spoke softly to keep the animals calm, so the only sounds were the squawks, chirps and warbles of the birds, and the crunching and rustling of animals eating breakfast.
—Jess McHugh, Washington Post, 9 Mar. 2024
Before long, there’s a chirp and flash of blue in the shrubbery.
—Ryan Ballogg, Miami Herald, 29 Feb. 2024
Once on the brink of extinction, elephant seals are expanding north into new breeding grounds along the California coast, turning long-empty beaches into a ruckus of roars, grunts, chirps and moans.
—Lisa M. Krieger, The Mercury News, 27 Feb. 2024
Verb
The birds are chirping, the weather is (mostly) warming up, plants are showing signs of life, and fresh produce and local goods will once again be offered at farmers markets all around Northwest Arkansas.
—Benjamin Collins, arkansasonline.com, 5 Apr. 2024
Most of the birds stopped chirping and singing when the sunlight dimmed.
—Trilce Estrada Olvera, The Arizona Republic, 10 Apr. 2024
And even without a sense of sight, eclipses are visceral: Some birds cease chirping; watchful humans will hoot and holler.
—Marina Koren, The Atlantic, 8 Apr. 2024
During the ephemeral darkness of the total eclipse, some daytime animals may fall silent, while nocturnal creatures such as crickets may begin to chirp and stir.
—Ashley Strickland, CNN, 8 Apr. 2024
People who are in parts of the country exposed to total eclipse might notice that birds will abruptly stop chirping.
—Gary Robbins, San Diego Union-Tribune, 5 Apr. 2024
The birds are chirping, the bees are buzzing, and your TV watching queue is getting longer.
—Kelly Lawler, USA TODAY, 25 Mar. 2024
Yes, the sun might be glancing off the snowdrifts, and the birds may be chirping away with blithe exuberance.
—Celine Nguyen, The Atlantic, 20 Mar. 2024
Be one with the birds in Altadena With spring nearly here, the hills are lush and the birds are chirping.
—Michael Charboneau, Los Angeles Times, 7 Mar. 2024
Noun
But a chill descends as the sun goes down, and crickets venture a twilight chirp.
—Jen Guyton, Smithsonian Magazine, 3 Apr. 2024
Besides bird chirps, owl hoots and racoons searching for food, the rumble of car engines firing up as campers head home may be strangely absent.
—Peter Valdes-Dapena, CNN, 31 Mar. 2024
Dry lines of flute and clarinet were bothered only by the intrusive chirp of someone’s unmuted notifications.
—Michael Andor Brodeur, Washington Post, 15 Mar. 2024
Their 2018 debut New Bois overflows with quirky genre hallmarks including cartoonish auto-tune and Nextel chirps, and even a couple of features from Polimá Westcoast.
—Richard Villegas, Rolling Stone, 1 Apr. 2024
The place buzzed with chirps and cries and calls and howls.
—Paul Brady, Travel + Leisure, 23 Mar. 2024
Staff spoke softly to keep the animals calm, so the only sounds were the squawks, chirps and warbles of the birds, and the crunching and rustling of animals eating breakfast.
—Jess McHugh, Washington Post, 9 Mar. 2024
Before long, there’s a chirp and flash of blue in the shrubbery.
—Ryan Ballogg, Miami Herald, 29 Feb. 2024
Once on the brink of extinction, elephant seals are expanding north into new breeding grounds along the California coast, turning long-empty beaches into a ruckus of roars, grunts, chirps and moans.
—Lisa M. Krieger, The Mercury News, 27 Feb. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'chirp.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
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Cite this Entry
“Chirp.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/chirp. Accessed 30 Apr. 2024.
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