sparrow

American  

[spar-oh] / ˈspær oʊ /

noun

1. any of numerous American finches of the family Emberizinae.

2. any member of the Old World genus Passer, formerly thought to be closely related to the weaverbirds but now placed in their own family, Passeridae.

3. British. the house sparrow.

4. any of several other unrelated small birds.

5. Military. Sparrow, a 12-foot (4-meter), all-weather, radar-guided U.S. air-to-air missile with an 88-pound (40-kilogram) high-explosive warhead.

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sparrow British  

/ ˈspærəʊ /

noun

1. any weaverbird of the genus Passer and related genera, esp the house sparrow, having a brown or grey plumage and feeding on seeds or insects

2. any of various North American finches, such as the chipping sparrow ( Spizella passerina ), that have a dullish streaked plumage

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Other Word Forms

• sparrow-like adjective
• sparrowless adjective
• sparrowlike adjective

Etymology

Origin of sparrow

First recorded before 900; Middle English sparowe, Old English spearwa; cognate with Gothic sparwa, Old Norse spǫrr

Example Sentences

Fish and Wildlife also allows two other invasive non-game birds — the English sparrow and the European starling — to be killed by licensed hunters, according to the release.

From Los Angeles Times • Oct. 23, 2025

So I’m curious, do you still have sparrow beef?

From Salon • Apr. 29, 2025

This year it dropped from third to fourth place behind the tree sparrow, the blue tit and the wood pigeon.

From BBC • Apr. 10, 2025

The researchers found that the genetic diversity of the Southern California subspecies, the Belding's Savannah sparrow, had declined slightly, but that it had been low even in the 1880s.

From Science Daily • Jan. 24, 2024

The mother sparrow watched him with soft intelligent eyes.

From "Redwall" by Brian Jacques