crow

1 of 4

noun (1)

ˈkrō 

1

plural crows : any of various large usually entirely glossy black passerine birds (family Corvidae and especially genus Corvus)

2

capitalized : corvus

3

: humble pie

the braggart was forced to eat crow

crow

2 of 4

verb

crowed ˈkrōd  also in sense 1 chiefly British crew ˈkrü  ; crowing

intransitive verb

1

: to make the loud shrill sound characteristic of a cock

2

: to utter a sound expressive of pleasure

3

a

: to exult gloatingly especially over the distress of another

b

: to brag exultantly or blatantly

transitive verb

: to say with self-satisfaction

crow

3 of 4

noun (2)

1

: the cry of the cock

2

: a triumphant cry

Crow

4 of 4

noun (3)

ˈkrō 

1

plural Crow also Crows : a member of an Indigenous people of the Great Plains between the Platte and Yellowstone rivers

Note: The names Apsáalooke or Absaroka are often used by Crow as self-designations.

2

: the Siouan language of the Crow people

Phrases

as the crow flies

: in a straight line

Synonyms

Verb

• delight
• joy
• triumph
• glory
• brag

Choose the Right Synonym for crow

boast, brag, vaunt, crow mean to express pride in oneself or one's accomplishments.

boast often suggests ostentation and exaggeration

boasts of every trivial success

, but it may imply a claiming with proper and justifiable pride.

the town boasts one of the best museums in the area

brag suggests crudity and artlessness in glorifying oneself.

bragging of their exploits

vaunt usually connotes more pomp and bombast than boast and less crudity or naïveté than brag.

vaunted his country's military might

crow usually implies exultant boasting or bragging.

crowed after winning the championship

Examples of crow in a Sentence

Verb

The cock crowed as the sun began to rise.

The boy crowed with delight.

The rest of us were sick of hearing her crow about her success.

Recent Examples on the Web

Verb

That the internecine fight went public was regrettable: spectators crowed for these race and gender studies nerds to go at each other, with the book taking arguably the greatest damage. —Erin Khuê Ninh june 17, Literary Hub, 17 June 2025

Success breeds imitation, particularly when the critics are crowing. —Marc Berman, Forbes.com, 8 June 2025

Noun

But their eggs and hatchlings can get crushed by tractors; they’re also being eaten by foxes, crows and sheep. —Sarah Kuta, Smithsonian Magazine, 23 Apr. 2025

The occasional caw of a crow, the chickadee-dee-dee of a chickadee, the big song of the little Carolina wren that now stays on our Pennsylvania farm all winter. —Daryln Brewer Hoffstot Kristian Thacker, New York Times, 28 Mar. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Noun (1)

Middle English crowe, from Old English crāwe; akin to Old High German krāwa crow, Old English crāwan to crow

Verb

Middle English, from Old English crāwan

Noun (3)

translation of American French gens des Corbeaux "crow people," or names of similar meaning in the languages of Plains Indians adjacent to the Crows

Note: The reason for the application of words meaning "crow" or "raven" to the Crow by their neighbors is obscure. The Crow self-designation is apsâˑroˑke, traditionally rendered in English Absaroka, Apsaroka, with other variants; it is spelled Apsáalooke in the practical orthography used by Crow speakers. (The sound written l is pronounced as a rhotic tap by older speakers.) It is apparently a generalization of an earlier band name and has no etymology, though supposed translations of the word in the 19th and early 20th centuries frequently rendered it as "Crow." See Handbook of North American Indians, vol. 13, part 2 (Washington, 2001), pp. 714-15.

First Known Use

Noun (1)

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense 1

Noun (2)

13th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Noun (3)

1801, in the meaning defined at sense 2

Phrases Containing crow

• carrion crow
• crow's foot
• crow's nest
• eat crow

Rhymes for crow

• beau
• beaux
• blow
• boe
• bro
• coe
• doe
• doh
• dough
• eau
• eaux
• faux

Kids Definition

crow

1 of 3 noun

ˈkrō 

1

: any of various large usually entirely glossy black birds related to the jays

2

capitalized : a member of an Indigenous people of the Great Plains

also : their language

crow

2 of 3 verb

crowed ˈkrōd  ; crowing

1

: to make the loud shrill sound that a rooster makes

2

: to make sounds of delight

3

: to brag loudly or joyfully

crow

3 of 3 noun

1

: the cry of the rooster

2

: a cry of triumph