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

2 of 2

noun

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

Synonyms of chirp

Verb

• peep
• tweet
• chirrup
• pipe
• chitter
• cheep
• pip
• chatter
• trill
• sing
• jargon

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

Had Steve Smith been fit and available to play, then the 31-year-old would have been patrolling another part of the field; maybe busying himself in the covers, or chirping away from under a lid at short leg. —Tim Spiers, New York Times, 21 Dec. 2025

Morale was high and the margin was 71-66 shortly after Bruce Brown scored a second-chance bucket and chirped at Durant, his former teammate. —Bennett Durando, Denver Post, 21 Dec. 2025

Noun

The Chartreux is usually a silent cat, giving little chirps or small miaows when wanting attention. —Literary Hub, 9 Dec. 2025

This includes meows, purrs and chirps—averaging about 4.3 meows in the first 100 seconds of greeting, compared to 1.8 for women. —Liz O'Connell, MSNBC Newsweek, 4 Dec. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Verb

imitative

First Known Use

Verb

1566, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Noun

1801, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for chirp

• burp
• usurp

Kids Definition

chirp

verb

ˈchərp

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

chirp noun