sire

1 of 2

noun

ˈsī(-ə)r 

1

a

: father

b

archaic : male ancestor : forefather

c

: author, originator

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

Synonyms

Noun

• dad
• daddy
• father
• old man
• pa
• papa
• poppa
• pater [chiefly British]
• pop

Verb

• beget
• father
• get

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

The bay colt’s sire is Curlin, a back-to-back Horse of the Year (2007-08) who retired as the highest money earner in North America. —Steven Louis Goldstein, New York Times, 3 May 2025

Second in the 2025 Blue Grass Stakes Fun Fact: Medaglia d’Oro, East Avenue’s sire, raced in all three Triple Crown races in 2002, finishing fourth in the Kentucky Derby, eighth in the Preakness and second in the Belmont. —Greg Rosenstein, NBC news, 2 May 2025

Verb

The 3-year-old dark bay colt, sired by former Japanese-bred standout Karakontie, has recently emerged as an intriguing prospect that could surprise the field at Churchill Downs on Saturday. —Eric Jackson, Sportico.com, 28 Apr. 2025

For The Rest, The Species Can Thank A Tortoise Known As E5 E5 was a quieter, less flamboyant male who largely avoided the spotlight but ultimately sired close to 60% of the program’s offspring. —Scott Travers, Forbes.com, 27 Apr. 2025

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

Rhymes for sire

• acquire
• attire
• bonfire
• campfire
• ceasefire
• conspire
• desire
• enquire
• entire
• greenbrier
• gunfire
• homebuyer

Kids Definition

sire

1 of 2 noun

ˈsī(ə)r 

1

: father entry 1 sense 1a

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

ˈsī(ə)r 

: 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