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
Roald Dahl… Jesse Levine was luxuriating at home in Boca Raton last month when his cellphone chirped.—L. Jon Wertheim
L. Jon Wertheim2
transitive
: to utter (something) with a cheerful liveliness
She sang three songs … and chirped "Goodbye everybody! See you tomorrow!"—Garrison Keillor
Garrison Keillor3
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
Ben VolinAfter the fight, which McLeod more or less won, the two chirped at each other in the penalty box …—USA Today
USA Today… some of his teammates chirped about the officiating …—Jack McCallum
Jack McCallum
: the characteristic short sharp sound especially of a small bird or insect
Examples of chirp in a Sentence
Verb
The birds were chirping in the trees.
We heard the crickets chirping.
Recent Examples on the Web
Joe Nguyen, Denver Post, 21 Sep. 2025
From organized team activities to the early days of training camp, Horn constantly chirped at quarterback Bryce Young in an effort to throw him off his game.
—Charlotte Observer, 18 Sep. 2025
Rachael O'Connor, MSNBC Newsweek, 10 Sep. 2025
Today’s Wordle Etymology The word chirp comes from Middle English chirpen (also spelled chirpyn), which was an imitative verb formed to mimic the short, sharp sounds of small birds or insects.
—Erik Kain, Forbes.com, 7 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for chirp
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Verb
Sean Payton was chirping at Bonitto on the sidelines.
—Joe Nguyen, Denver Post, 21 Sep. 2025
From organized team activities to the early days of training camp, Horn constantly chirped at quarterback Bryce Young in an effort to throw him off his game.
—Charlotte Observer, 18 Sep. 2025
Noun
They are known to work in teams when hunting, and communicate with chirps, growls, whistles and body language.
—Rachael O'Connor, MSNBC Newsweek, 10 Sep. 2025
Today’s Wordle Etymology The word chirp comes from Middle English chirpen (also spelled chirpyn), which was an imitative verb formed to mimic the short, sharp sounds of small birds or insects.
—Erik Kain, Forbes.com, 7 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for chirp
Cite this Entry
“Chirp.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/chirp. Accessed 29 Sep. 2025.
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