parrot

noun par·rot \ ˈper-ət , ˈpa-rət \

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

See parrot defined for English-language learners

See parrot defined for kids

Recent Examples of parrot from the Web

That seems like a list of animal intelligentsia, but other clever creatures have largely or completely failed the test, including crows, parrots, gorillas, monkeys, dogs, and even some young children.

— ed yong, The Atlantic, "Can Dogs Smell Their ‘Reflections’?," 17 Aug. 2017
The farm also is home to turkeys — the fair’s turkey races are run by Riegler’s wife, Nancy — and parrots, sheep, donkeys and horses.

— hillary davis, Daily Pilot, "Udderly delightful: Dairy camels bring a different kind of milk to O.C. Fair," 3 Aug. 2017
Police originally believed Glenna was a victim in the incident, but became a suspect partly on testimony from the parrot.

— alexia fernandez, PEOPLE.com, "Michigan Woman Convicted of Murder After Pet Parrot Repeats ‘Don’t F—ing Shoot’ in Victim’s Voice," 21 July 2017
Mary proceeds to bring her brand of magic—including her winking parrot umbrella and magic carpet bag—into the Banks home.

— marc snetiker, PEOPLE.com, "Emily Blunt Is Practically Perfect in Every Way in First Mary Poppins Returns Footage," 15 July 2017
In 2010, French President Nicolas Sarkozy and First Lady Carla Bruni were greeted by pink parrot tulips and garden roses arranged in French-style bouquets.

— janet eastman, OregonLive.com, "Play nice with flowers: Lessons on 'Floral Diplomacy' in the White House (photos)," 30 June 2017
She's reduced her flock of parrots, macaws and other exotic birds to 250.

— CBS News, "Authorities crack down on woman breeding exotic birds in backyard," 28 June 2017
The parrot's distinct, sometimes hawk-like call also convinced him that this fiery-headed bird was something different.

— olivia gibson, CNN, "New parrot species identified in Mexico, study says," 27 June 2017
The crowned parrots kissing the pearl is so endearing and symbolic to me.

— sarah spellings, The Cut, "Mike Pence Officiated Steve Mnuchin’s Wedding," 26 June 2017

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

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

Recent Examples of parrot from the Web

Yet Renacci declined to criticize Trump and in fact parroted some of the president's recent rhetoric.

— laura hancock, cleveland.com, "State seeks bids for real-time access medial marijuana facility cameras," 18 Aug. 2017
First, Trump has been parroting far-right ideas about voter fraud since at least 2012.

— chas danner, Daily Intelligencer, "Trump Falsely Warns of Multi-State Voter Fraud Conspiracy," 1 July 2017
Dr. Benjamin Reyes had used the figure of 1.8 million drug addicts in the Philippines based on a 2015 household survey, rather than parroting the President's claim that there are 3 or 4 million.

— joseph hincks, Time, "TIME Premium Content," 29 June 2017
Don't be afraid to parrot some of the words on the list of requirements back to them when possible.

— vicky oliver, Fortune, "3 Tips for Drafting a Great Resume," 27 June 2017
Part of it will require members of Congress to stop parroting the gun lobby's talking points that keep those irrational fears alive.

— liz stark, CNN, "Where does GOP baseball shooting leave the gun control debate?," 16 June 2017
The two appeared to be parroting a slogan used by IS spokesman Abu Mohammad al-Adnani, who was killed in Syria last year.

— Bloomberg.com, "Islamic State Claims Attacks in Iran," 7 June 2017
Talking points shared by the RNC will focus in part on pushing the message that both Republicans and Democrats had previously lost confidence in the ex-FBI director, urging Trump surrogates to parrot Democrats' criticism of Comey before his firing.

— jeremy diamond and sara murray, CNN, "Ahead of Comey testimony, Republicans prep response efforts -- and brace," 6 June 2017
Markey, the Massachusetts senator, parroted the grand jury lie while on CNN.

— jeet heer, New Republic, "No, Liberals Are Not Falling for Conspiracy Theories Just Like Conservatives Do," 23 May 2017

First Known Use of parrot

1596

parrot Synonyms

Synonyms

ditto, echo, repeat, quote, reecho

Related Words

mouth; ape, copy, copycat, emulate, imitate, mime, mimic

PARROT Defined for English Language Learners

parrot

noun

Definition of parrot for English Language Learners

: a bright-colored tropical bird that has a curved bill and the ability to imitate speech

parrot

verb

Definition of parrot for English Language Learners

: to repeat (something, such as words, ideas, etc.) without understanding the meaning

PARROT Defined for Kids

parrot

noun par·rot \ ˈper-ət \

Definition of parrot for Students

:a brightly colored tropical bird that has a strong hooked bill and is sometimes trained to imitate human speech

Learn More about parrot

See words that rhyme with parrot Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for parrot Spanish Central: Translation of parrot Nglish: Translation of parrot for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of parrot for Arabic speakers Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about parrot

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Origin and Etymology of parrot

parrot

Definition of parrot

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Recent Examples of parrot from the Web

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parrot Synonyms

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PARROT Defined for English Language Learners

parrot

Definition of parrot for English Language Learners

parrot

Definition of parrot for English Language Learners

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