sire

1 of 2

noun

1
a
: father
b
archaic : male ancestor : forefather
2
a
archaic : a man of rank or authority
especially : lord
used formerly as a form of address and as a title
b
obsolete : an elderly man : senior
3
: the male parent of an animal and especially of a domestic animal

sire

2 of 2

verb

sired; siring

transitive verb

1
: beget
used especially of male domestic animals
2
: to bring into being : originate

Examples of sire in a Sentence

Noun his sire had been a renowned Wall Street lawyer the revered sire of the impressionist movement in art Verb The horse sired several champion racers. the champion racehorse went on to sire a long line of winners
Recent Examples on the Web
Noun
Pincay simply knew Secretariat’s sire, Bold Ruler, wasn’t adept at long-distance races. Jason Frakes, The Courier-Journal, 24 Apr. 2023 Kentucky Derby 2023:What to look for in the horses in the Churchill Downs paddock Who's the top sire? Jason Frakes, The Courier-Journal, 17 Apr. 2023 This gray son of the prolific sire Tapit has won four straight races. Melissa Hoppert, New York Times, 5 May 2023 Castro County, sire of the fire, is open prairie land dotted with dairy farms and cattle ranches about 70 miles southwest of Amarillo. Rick Jervis, USA TODAY, 13 Apr. 2023 The script prior to this point is your standard high fantasy fare, full of lords, sires, and language that clearly denotes social standing. Josh Broadwell, Variety, 21 June 2023 Skinner’s sire is Curlin, whose progeny tend to be slow developing. John Cherwa, Los Angeles Times, 4 May 2023 Disarm Owners wanted a name connected to guns because of his sire, Gun Runner. Alexis Cubit, The Courier-Journal, 3 May 2023 Hoppert: His sire, Tapit, has produced four Belmont winners. Melissa Hoppert, New York Times, 10 June 2023
Verb
Ancient Egypt’s Ramses II sired more than 100 kids, according to Sky History’s tally, and Genghis Khan may have fathered some 3,000 children. David Noyce, The Salt Lake Tribune, 24 Aug. 2023 The colt, sired by Into Mischief, considered one of the top stallions in the world, won his only start Aug. 12 by 4¼ lengths. John Cherwa, Los Angeles Times, 26 Aug. 2023 Pale Male, like many middle-aged widowers with great apartments, subsequently got with a whole bunch of other, younger birds and ultimately sired 23 offspring. Curbed, 17 May 2023 Males also mate outside their pods—this means their mothers will not have to support the grandkids sired by their sons. Victoria Sayo Turner, Smithsonian Magazine, 24 July 2023 Of the 12 Belmont starters sired by Tapit, in addition to the four wins, there have been two seconds and two thirds. John Cherwa, Los Angeles Times, 5 June 2023 The hybrid offspring develop quickly, and plains spadefoot females even tune into male calls to choose the partners that would sire the most rapidly developing tadpoles. Jason P. Dinh, Discover Magazine, 20 Sep. 2022 Tapit has sired four Belmont Stakes winners – Tonalist in 2014, Creator in 2016, Tapwrit in 2017 and Essential Quality in 2021. Mark Inabinett | Minabinett@al.com, al, 7 June 2023 The now 22-year-old has sired four Belmont Stakes winners in eight years. John Cherwa, Los Angeles Times, 5 June 2023 See More

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'sire.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Noun

Middle English, from Anglo-French, lord, feudal superior, from Vulgar Latin *seior, alteration of Latin senior older — more at senior

First Known Use

Noun

13th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Verb

1611, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of sire was in the 13th century

Dictionary Entries Near sire

Cite this Entry

“Sire.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/sire. Accessed 30 Sep. 2023.

Kids Definition

sire

1 of 2 noun
1
2
archaic : a male ancestor : forefather
3
: the male parent of an animal and especially of a domestic animal

sire

2 of 2 verb
sired; siring
: beget sense 1
used especially of domestic animals

Medical Definition

sire

1 of 2 noun
: the male parent of an animal and especially of a domestic animal

sire

2 of 2 transitive verb
sired; siring
: to procreate as the male parent of

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