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
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Noun
The talented runners in the 2025 Santa Anita Derby are from super sires. Jay Ginsbach, Forbes.com, 5 Apr. 2025 Bos also ensured Kacey was supervised throughout her heat cycle, making an outside sire highly unlikely. Tommy Tuberville, Newsweek, 6 Mar. 2025
Verb
Baffert’s influence can also be found in the breeding for this race with six having been sired by horses that Baffert has trained. John Cherwa, Los Angeles Times, 30 Apr. 2025 The horse, sired by two-time Horse of the Year Curlin, will have jockey John Velazquez in the saddle and is guided by Hall of Fame trainer Todd Pletcher. Eric Jackson, Sportico.com, 3 Sep. 2019 See All Example Sentences for sire

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

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Sire.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/sire. Accessed 3 May. 2025.

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

More from Merriam-Webster on sire

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