crow

¹

[ kroh ]

noun

1. any of several large oscine birds of the genus Corvus, of the family Corvidae, having a long, stout bill, lustrous black plumage, and a wedge-shaped tail, as the common C. brachyrhynchos, of North America.
2. any of several other birds of the family Corvidae.
3. any of various similar birds of other families.
4. Crow, Astronomy. the constellation Corvus.
5. crowbar ( def 1 ).

crow

²

[ kroh ]

verb (used without object)

crowed (especially British,) crewcrowedcrowing

1. to utter the characteristic cry of a rooster.
2. to gloat, boast, or exult (often followed by over ).

   Synonyms: brag, vaunt

3. to utter an inarticulate cry of pleasure, as an infant does.

noun

1. the characteristic cry of a rooster.
2. an inarticulate cry of pleasure.

Crow

³

[ kroh ]

noun

1. a member of a Siouan people of eastern Montana.
2. a Siouan language closely related to Hidatsa.

crow

¹

/ krəʊ /

noun

1. any large gregarious songbird of the genus Corvus, esp C. corone (the carrion crow) of Europe and Asia: family Corvidae . Other species are the raven, rook, and jackdaw and all have a heavy bill, glossy black plumage, and rounded wings See also carrion crow corvine
2. any of various other corvine birds, such as the jay, magpie, and nutcracker
3. any of various similar birds of other families
4. offensive.
   an old or ugly woman
5. short for crowbar
6. as the crow flies
   as directly as possible
7. eat crow informal.
   to be forced to do something humiliating
8. stone the crows
   stone

crow

²

/ krəʊ /

verb

1. past tense crowed or crew to utter a shrill squawking sound, as a cock
2. often foll by over to boast one's superiority
3. (esp of babies) to utter cries of pleasure

noun

1. the act or an instance of crowing

Crow

³

/ krəʊ /

noun

1. CrowsCrow a member of a Native American people living in E Montana
2. the language of this people, belonging to the Siouan family

Derived Forms

• ˈcrowingly, adverb
• ˈcrower, noun

Other Words From

• crower noun
• crowing·ly adverb

Word History and Origins

Origin of crow¹

First recorded before 900; Middle English crowe, Old English crāwe, crāwa; cognate with Old High German krāwa; akin to Dutch kraai, German Krähe

Origin of crow²

First recorded before 1000; Middle English crouen, crowen, Old English crāwan; cognate with Dutch kraaien, German krähen; crow ¹

Origin of crow³

1795–1805; translation of North American French ( gens des ) Corbeaux Raven (people), literal translation of Crow apsá˙loke a Crow Indian

Word History and Origins

Origin of crow¹

Old English crāwa; related to Old Norse krāka, Old High German krāia, Dutch kraai

Origin of crow²

Old English crāwan; related to Old High German krāen, Dutch kraaien

Idioms and Phrases

Idioms

1. as the crow flies, in a straight line; by the most direct route:

   The next town is thirty miles from here, as the crow flies.

2. eat crow, Informal. to be forced to admit to having made a mistake, as by retracting an emphatic statement; suffer humiliation:

   His prediction was completely wrong, and he had to eat crow.

3. have a crow to pick / pluck with someone, Midland and Southern U.S. to have a reason to disagree or argue with someone.

More idioms and phrases containing crow

In addition to the idiom beginning with crow , also see as the crow flies ; eat crow .

Example Sentences

Native reptiles and birds, including the Be’er Sheva fringe-fingered lizard, the pin-tailed sandgrouse and the spectacled warbler, are now fall easy prey for crows and jays perched in the tree branches.

From Salon

Obama and Biden didn’t fit that description; their pollsters warned them against crowing since their numbers showed that many folks weren’t “feeling the benefits.”

From Salon

Incessantly, swooping seabirds and crows crowd the sky, following Bailey everywhere, drawing her adoring consideration as subjects of artful phone videos.

From Los Angeles Times

No, not a stone’s throw but as the crow flies.

From Los Angeles Times

Jiří Hřebíček created an artistic image of a carrion crow by using a long shutter speed while moving his camera on purpose.

From BBC

Related Words

• boast
• brag
• exult
• gloat
• squawk
• strut