parrot

noun par·rot \ ˈper-ət , ˈpa-rət \

|Updated on: 5 Jul 2018

Definition of parrot

1 : any of numerous widely distributed tropical birds (order Psittaciformes and especially family Psittacidae) that are often crested and brightly colored, have a distinctive stout hooked bill and zygodactyl feet, and include some excellent mimics

2 : a person who sedulously echoes another's words

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parrot

adjective

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Recent Examples of parrot from the Web

There was Alex, the 31-year-old gray parrot, who died in 2007 with a vocabulary of 150 words and the same ability as Koko and Kanzi to assemble them into thoughts and sentences.

— jeffrey kluger, Time, "Koko the Gorilla Wasn't Human, But She Taught Us So Much About Ourselves," 21 June 2018
Not one species, one bird, the famed African gray parrot, Alex, who knew not only words, but numbers.

— james gorman, New York Times, "Do Bees Know Nothing?," 7 June 2018
One stand-out scene includes Lansbury’s Aunt March disdainfully chattering at Jo while a gigantic red parrot chews on the young woman’s sleeve.

— refinery29.com, "Little Women Review: If You Love The Novel, You’ll Love The Miniseries," 11 May 2018
Some of the most interesting Day 3 announcement plans include: Tampa Bay Buccaneers: A parrot named Zsa Zsa will announce one of the team's picks from a pirate ship in Raymond James Stadium.

— scott gleeson, USA TODAY, "From 'Star Wars' to Niagara Falls: NFL draft's best Day 3 gimmicks," 27 Apr. 2018
For example, Chewbacca and R2-D2 will announce 49ers late picks, and a parrot named Zsa Zsa will reveal the Bucs’ fourth-round choice.

— greg cote, miamiherald, "Ready for a shock? Check out the pick for the Miami Dolphins | Miami Herald," 25 Apr. 2018
The crazy part is that the names of the selections will be delivered to that person by a parrot named Zsa Zsa.

— dan gartland, SI.com, "The Bucs Will Use a Parrot to Announce Their Late-Round Draft Picks," 23 Apr. 2018
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers announced that a parrot named Zsa Zsa will be delivering their fourth round pick straight to Raymond James Stadium.

— joseph spears, Indianapolis Star, "Buccaneers to have a parrot make their fourth round pick," 23 Apr. 2018
So despite their smarts, parrots aren’t known to recognize their reflections, Mulvihill says.

— National Geographic, "Why Dogs Pee in Their Bowls and Other Pet Behaviors Explained," 6 Jan. 2018

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

Origin and Etymology of parrot

probably modification of Middle French perroquet

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: circa 1525

in the meaning defined at sense 1

See Words from the same year

parrot

verb

Definition of parrot

transitive verb

: to repeat by rote

See parrot defined for English-language learners

Examples of parrot in a Sentence

Some of the students were just parroting what the teacher said.
the toddler parroted everything her father said, often to the latter's embarrassment