chirp

verb

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\ ˈchərp

chirped; chirping; chirps

Definition of chirp

(Entry 1 of 2)

transitive + intransitive

1 : 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 : to utter (something) with a cheerful liveliness She sang three songs … and chirped "Goodbye everybody! See you tomorrow!"— Garrison Keillor

3 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

noun

Definition of chirp (Entry 2 of 2)

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

Synonyms More Example Sentences Learn More about chirp

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Synonyms for chirp

Synonyms: Verb

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 But Bill Frederick Park offers plenty of space for visitors to become immersed in nature, listen to the birds chirp and slow down with any number of recreational activities. — Patrick Connolly, orlandosentinel.com, "Florida Fresh Air: Bill Frederick Park at Turkey Lake is meant for all types of recreation," 26 Mar. 2021 Birds chirp on the recording before piano and ethereal synths provide a bed for Faithfull’s recitation of the poem, which describes a woman’s unparalleled grace. — Kory Grow, Rolling Stone, "Hear Marianne Faithfull Tenderly Read Lord Byron’s Romantic Poem ‘She Walks in Beauty’," 26 Feb. 2021 The two would chirp at each other during games, and Randall even saluted Auriemma after hitting a game-winning shot in 2000 at Gampel Pavilion. — Rhiannon Potkey, USA TODAY, "As Geno Auriemma passes Pat Summitt in wins, ex-Lady Vols relive sport's greatest rivalry," 21 Jan. 2021 As people can sense from watching the Cuomo brothers chirp each other, even the most lighthearted Cuomo-family trash talk comes with a tincture of grievance. — Nick Paumgarten, The New Yorker, "Andrew Cuomo, the King of New York," 12 Oct. 2020 While never unseemly enough to chirp its tires, the Ghost will launch hard with the nose-up attitude common to the powerful but softly sprung. — Mike Duff, Car and Driver, "2021 Rolls-Royce Ghost Marks an Opulent Evolution," 23 Sep. 2020 Most alarms will chirp when the smoke detector battery is almost dead. — Nicole Bradley, Better Homes & Gardens, "6 Best Smoke Detectors to Keep Your Family Safe," 2 June 2020 Courtesy of The Home Depot Avoid low-battery chirps every six months by installing a 10-year-battery smoke detector, which utilizes a long-lasting lithium battery. — Nicole Bradley, Better Homes & Gardens, "6 Best Smoke Detectors to Keep Your Family Safe," 2 June 2020 After a particularly long week of hard news, stress or even just boredom, taking time out to appreciate plants in bloom, animals chirping or a clear blue sky always seems to set me at ease. — Nicole Briese, USA TODAY, "This 3-piece rocking chair set will brighten up your outdoor space—and it's less than $200," 28 May 2020 Recent Examples on the Web: Noun Avian residents of the Orlando Wetlands Park — coots, eagles, spoonbills, egrets, herons, owls, vultures and more — squawk, chirp, hoot and sing to usher in the new day. — Patrick Connolly, orlandosentinel.com, "Florida Fresh Air: Orlando Wetlands Park is an oasis for birds, birders and photographers," 19 Mar. 2021 Who's ready to dance with their pup or chirp along with their bird? — Perri Ormont Blumberg, Southern Living, "Create a Customized Playlist for You and Your Pet Using This Cool Spotify Feature," 16 Mar. 2021 Audio recordings of each bird's chirp, screech or song accompany the paintings. — Marissa Fessenden, Scientific American, "Audubon's Birds Live On Long after His Death [Slide Show]," 17 May 2013 Each type delivers its own signature chirp and could produce a signal that stays above LIGO’s threshold of sensitivity for several minutes or more. — Davide Castelvecchi, Scientific American, "The Black Hole Collision That Reshaped Physics," 24 Mar. 2016 Fields brim with lupine, silverweed, and geranium in every shade of purple and blue; songbirds trill and chirp in the trees. — Acacia Johnson, National Geographic, "For this family, keeping Alaska wild and pristine is a decades-long mission," 25 Sep. 2020 Under the hum of mechanical equipment and the steady chirp of a heart-rate monitor, a COVID-19 patient lies quietly in the intensive care unit of Martin Luther King Jr. Community Hospital. — Hayley Smith, Los Angeles Times, "‘Separate and unequal’: South L.A.'s MLK hospital faces crisis on top of crisis," 1 Jan. 2021 In a paper published in the journal Universal Access, researchers reported that people also label certain sounds as cute, and those sounds tend to be high pitched, like the chirp of a baby bird. — Kristin Wong, Wired, "The Power of Kawaii: How Cute, Squishy Things Influence Us," 25 Dec. 2020 A year that began with the coronation of the Next Greatest Quarterback of All Time was also supposed to include a Summer Olympics, an NBA legend romping to a title in Kobe’s house, the comforting chirp of birds in Augusta. — Gabe Lacques, USA TODAY, "Sports' winners, losers from 2020: The people, institutions that stood out with calendar upended," 21 Dec. 2020

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'chirp.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.