chirp

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verb

ˈchərp 

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

… Jesse Levine was luxuriating at home in Boca Raton last month when his cellphone chirped.

—L. Jon Wertheim

2

transitive : to utter (something) with a cheerful liveliness

She sang three songs … and chirped "Goodbye everybody! See you tomorrow!"

—Garrison Keillor

3

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

After the fight, which McLeod more or less won, the two chirped at each other in the penalty box …

—USA Today

… some of his teammates chirped about the officiating …

—Jack McCallum

chirp

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noun

: the characteristic short sharp sound especially of a small bird or insect

Synonyms

Verb

• cheep
• chirrup
• chitter
• jargon
• peep
• pip
• pipe
• tweet
• twitter

Examples of chirp in a Sentence

Verb

The birds were chirping in the trees.

We heard the crickets chirping.

Recent Examples on the Web

Verb

Jones was chirping his mom’s skating ability, reflecting on the bevy of Chicago Blackhawks babies that have been born this season and just generally soaking in the undeniably cool atmosphere of Wrigley Field on the eve of the Winter Classic. —Mark Lazerus, The Athletic, 31 Dec. 2024

The rookie seemingly chirps at a defender after every catch, which can seem like a bit much at times. —James Boyd, The Athletic, 9 Aug. 2024

Noun

Image: Kidde The alarms connect to the Ring app and, as well as sending alerts when triggered, will notify you about a low battery to help avoid those 2AM chirps. —Jennifer Pattison Tuohy, The Verge, 6 Jan. 2025

This beautiful cat makes the sweetest chirps and meows to talk to you! —Staff Report, Hartford Courant, 4 Jan. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Verb

imitative

First Known Use

Verb

1566, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Noun

circa 1586, in the meaning defined above

Kids Definition

chirp

verb

ˈchərp

: to make a short sharp sound like a small bird or cricket

chirp noun