sparrow

noun

spar·​row ˈsper-(ˌ)ō 

ˈspa-(ˌ)rō

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 Passeridae) that are New World birds (such as the song sparrow or tree sparrow) resembling the Old World sparrows

sparrowlike

ˈsper-(ˌ)ō-ˌlīk 

-ə-ˌlīk;

ˈspa-(ˌ)rō-ˌlīk

-rə-ˌlīk

adjective

Examples of sparrow in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Gray foxes are said to reside here along with reptiles like the smooth green snake and eastern milk snake, as well as numerous birds, including the Virginian rail, Henslow’s sparrow, bobolink and eastern meadowlark. —Susan Degrane, Chicago Tribune, 12 Mar. 2025

Species include the fox sparrow, the American tree sparrow and the dark-eyed junco. —Elizabeth Weise, USA TODAY, 11 Mar. 2025

Like our backyard sparrows Romeo and Juliet, each of us is expressing our own unique phenotype just as nature intended. —Donna L. Maney, Scientific American, 18 Feb. 2025

Found only in Central Florida’s dry prairie, this sparrow’s numbers were once as low as just 50 males, recorded in 2018. —Kelsey Glennon, Southern Living, 15 Feb. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Middle English sparow, from Old English spearwa; akin to Old High German sparo sparrow

First Known Use

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing sparrow

• chipping sparrow
• English sparrow
• grasshopper sparrow
• house sparrow
• song sparrow
• sparrow hawk
• tree sparrow
• white-crowned sparrow
• white-throated sparrow

Rhymes for sparrow

• aero
• faro
• garo
• marrow
• narrow
• pharaoh
• taro
• bolero
• bracero
• estero
• herero
• montero

Kids Definition

sparrow

noun

spar·​row ˈspar-ō 

1

: any of several small songbirds that have usually brownish or grayish feathers and are related to the finches

especially : house sparrow

2

: any of numerous finches (as the song sparrow) that resemble the true sparrows