chirp

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verb

ˈchərp 

chirped; chirping; chirps

1

intransitive : to make a chirp or a sound resembling a chirp

chirping birds

… he had listened many times to the sound of grasshoppers chirping in the grass, and he had always liked the noise that they made.

—Roald Dahl

… Jesse Levine was luxuriating at home in Boca Raton last month when his cellphone chirped.

—L. Jon Wertheim

2

transitive : to utter (something) with a cheerful liveliness

She sang three songs … and chirped "Goodbye everybody! See you tomorrow!"

—Garrison Keillor

3

intransitive informal : to make sharply critical, complaining, or taunting remarks

Emotions boiled over for Panthers quarterback Cam Newton and cornerback Josh Norman after the two chirped at each other consistently for two weeks.

—Ben Volin

After the fight, which McLeod more or less won, the two chirped at each other in the penalty box …

—USA Today

… some of his teammates chirped about the officiating …

—Jack McCallum

chirp

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noun

: the characteristic short sharp sound especially of a small bird or insect

Synonyms

Verb

• cheep
• chirrup
• chitter
• jargon
• peep
• pip
• pipe
• tweet
• twitter

Examples of chirp in a Sentence

Verb

The birds were chirping in the trees.

We heard the crickets chirping.

Recent Examples on the Web

Verb

Some of the species are either too wary of people or fly too high for trapping, but acoustics equipment can pick up their echolocation chirps, and the computer is programmed to identify the sounds by species. —Brandon Loomis, The Arizona Republic, 20 May 2024

And when a final showdown arrives — several women and girls chirping out an animalistic warning — the hair on the back of your neck pricks up. —Joshua Rothkopf, Los Angeles Times, 19 May 2024

Word History

Etymology

Verb

imitative

First Known Use

Verb

1566, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Noun

circa 1586, in the meaning defined above

Kids Definition

chirp

verb

ˈchərp

: to make a short sharp sound like a small bird or cricket

chirp noun