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 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

Despite the hundreds of people gathered around a de facto memorial, a silence hung in the air, broken only by the sound of birds chirping as the sun set. —Jennifer Jett, NBC news, 4 Dec. 2025

The heated incident happened at a moment when defensive tackle Maliek Collins went down with an injury, and San Francisco's Jennings began chirping at Browns players. —Matthew Couden, MSNBC Newsweek, 30 Nov. 2025

Noun

Only the chirp of insects and the distant hum of a generator. —David Culver, CNN Money, 3 Nov. 2025

Rodrigues and his teammates started the chirps on the bench. —Fluto Shinzawa, New York Times, 28 Oct. 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