sparrow

noun spar·row \ ˈsper-(ˌ)ō , ˈspa-(ˌ)rō \

|Updated on: 8 Jul 2018

Definition of sparrow

1 : any of a genus (Passer of the family Passeridae) of small chiefly brownish or grayish Old World oscine songbirds that include some which have been widely introduced; especially : house sparrow

2 : any of numerous finches (family Emberizidae) that are New World birds (such as the song sparrow or tree sparrow) resembling the Old World sparrows

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sparrowlike

play \ˈsper-(ˌ)ō-ˌlīk, -ə-ˌlīk; ˈspa-(ˌ)rō-ˌlīk, -rə-ˌlīk\ adjective

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Recent Examples of sparrow from the Web

Certain motifs in swamp sparrow songs can last hundreds, even thousands of years—evidence of a cultural tradition in the birds.

— christopher intagliata, Scientific American, "Bird's Song Staying Power Implies Culture," 22 June 2018
The only sound is the song of sparrows as wind ripples long grasses on what was once a parade ground.

— jane margolies, New York Times, "Once Home to Soldiers, Former Presidio Fort Will House New Residents," 19 June 2018
Moreover, when researchers forced a grayish sparrow called a junco (which has some of the lowest fledgling survival rates among the species studied) to stay in the nest for 13 days instead of 10, more lived to adulthood.

— elizabeth pennisi, Science | AAAS, "Time to fly? Birds that leave the nest at the wrong time can bring disaster on the whole family," 20 June 2018
The analysis revealed that only two percent of male swamp sparrows deviated from the musical status quo.

— robert lachlan, National Geographic, "This Bird Has Been Singing the Same Song for 1,000 Years," 20 June 2018
Flies buzz around the goose guts in my dogpot, and a big black bumblebee, and everywhere birds are chirping and singing — sparrows and robins and warblers flitting in the branches, rustling in dead leaves, busy setting up homes here on the hill.

— seth kantner, Anchorage Daily News, "We’re failing in our relationship with nature – and with each other," 9 June 2018
At Parker River National Wildlife Refuge were were nine whip-poor-wills, a tricolored heron, 15 species of shorebirds, and two seaside sparrows.

— BostonGlobe.com, "Bird sightings," 2 June 2018
Researchers believe the tail came from a juvenile coelurosaur, a sparrow sized dinosaur.

— laura yan, Popular Mechanics, "Scientists Discover a Dinosaur Tail Preserved in Amber," 27 May 2018
That appeared to be a personal flourish that male sparrows changed at whim.

— hiroko tabuchi, New York Times, "Near Noisy Oil Fields, Lovesick Birds Change Their Tunes," 13 Mar. 2018

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