sire

1 of 2

noun

1
a
: father
b
archaic : male ancestor : forefather
2
a
archaic : a man of rank or authority
especially : lord
used formerly as a form of address and as a title
b
obsolete : an elderly man : senior
3
: the male parent of an animal and especially of a domestic animal

sire

2 of 2

verb

sired; siring

transitive verb

1
: beget
used especially of male domestic animals
2
: to bring into being : originate

Examples of sire in a Sentence

Noun his sire had been a renowned Wall Street lawyer the revered sire of the impressionist movement in art Verb The horse sired several champion racers. the champion racehorse went on to sire a long line of winners
Recent Examples on the Web
Noun
Jobs, as the sire of both Apple and Pixar, would understand this. Ryan Faughnder, Los Angeles Times, 30 Jan. 2024 Carbone blinked before Otto the Conqueror, whose sire, Street Sense, won the 2007 Kentucky Derby under Calvin Borel. Bob Wisener, arkansasonline.com, 4 Feb. 2024 And that extra activity appears to pay off: the sandpipers that sleep the least sire the most offspring. Jack Tamisiea, Scientific American, 25 Jan. 2024 The owner, trainer and jockey were the same as Slow Down Andy’s sire, Nyquist, who won the 2016 Kentucky Derby. John Cherwa, Los Angeles Times, 1 Oct. 2023 O’Neill, jockey Mario Gutierrez and owners Paul and Zillah Reddam won the 2016 Kentucky Derby with Nyquist, who is the sire of Slow Down Andy. John Cherwa, Los Angeles Times, 1 Oct. 2023 His sire, Tapit, is one of the best race horses in North America, though his progeny has yet to produce a Kentucky Derby winner. Alexis Cubit, The Courier-Journal, 2 May 2023 Pincay simply knew Secretariat’s sire, Bold Ruler, wasn’t adept at long-distance races. Jason Frakes, The Courier-Journal, 24 Apr. 2023 Kentucky Derby 2023:What to look for in the horses in the Churchill Downs paddock Who's the top sire? Jason Frakes, The Courier-Journal, 17 Apr. 2023
Verb
Seattle Slew sired Swale (Derby and Belmont winner) and A.P. Indy (Belmont winner). Brooks Warren, The Courier-Journal, 20 Jan. 2024 Feral cats are trapped, neutered and then returned to their colony – and can no longer sire new kittens. Christine Rousselle, Fox News, 1 Feb. 2024 Bush gave Naga to the Cincinnati Zoo because of its experience breeding rare species, and Naga sired up to 55 babies, the zoo said. Victoria Moorwood, The Enquirer, 12 July 2023 Between 1983 and 1989, Ling-Ling and Hsing-Hsing sired five cubs, but none survived more than a few days. Meilan Solly, Smithsonian Magazine, 20 Sep. 2023 Ancient Egypt’s Ramses II sired more than 100 kids, according to Sky History’s tally, and Genghis Khan may have fathered some 3,000 children. David Noyce, The Salt Lake Tribune, 24 Aug. 2023 The colt, sired by Into Mischief, considered one of the top stallions in the world, won his only start Aug. 12 by 4¼ lengths. John Cherwa, Los Angeles Times, 26 Aug. 2023 Pale Male, like many middle-aged widowers with great apartments, subsequently got with a whole bunch of other, younger birds and ultimately sired 23 offspring. Curbed, 17 May 2023 Males also mate outside their pods—this means their mothers will not have to support the grandkids sired by their sons. Victoria Sayo Turner, Smithsonian Magazine, 24 July 2023

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'sire.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Noun

Middle English, from Anglo-French, lord, feudal superior, from Vulgar Latin *seior, alteration of Latin senior older — more at senior

First Known Use

Noun

13th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Verb

1611, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of sire was in the 13th century

Dictionary Entries Near sire

Cite this Entry

“Sire.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/sire. Accessed 18 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

sire

1 of 2 noun
1
2
archaic : a male ancestor : forefather
3
: the male parent of an animal and especially of a domestic animal

sire

2 of 2 verb
sired; siring
: beget sense 1
used especially of domestic animals

Medical Definition

sire

1 of 2 noun
: the male parent of an animal and especially of a domestic animal

sire

2 of 2 transitive verb
sired; siring
: to procreate as the male parent of

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