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HOW TO PRONOUNCE

sparrow

/ˈspæɹoʊ/

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American Pronunciation Guide · 0:39
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What does sparrow mean?

noun

  1. The house sparrow, Passer domesticus; a small bird with a short bill, and brown, white and gray feathers.
  2. A member of the family Passeridae, comprising small Old World songbirds.
  3. A member of the family Passerellidae (or Emberizidae, under classification systems that subsume the New World sparrows under Emberizidae), comprising small New World songbirds.
More meanings (3)

noun

  1. Generically, any small, nondescript bird.
  2. A quick-witted, lively person.

proper noun

  1. A surname.

Definitions regrouped for readability · CC BY-SA 4.0

IPA pronunciation

/ˈspæɹoʊ/

Wiktionary contributors · CC BY-SA 4.0

Pronunciation varies by speaker and region. About these dictionary pronunciations.

In the pages of books

See this word in context.

While Peter lived, the tortured man felt that he was a lion in a cage into which a sparrow had come.
J. M. (James Matthew) BarriePeter Pan : $b [Peter and Wendy]Project Gutenberg ebook #16
There were sparrow hawks, with white breasts, and kestrels, and down the slopes scampered, with their long legs, several fine fat bustards.
Jules VerneTwenty Thousand Leagues under the SeaProject Gutenberg ebook #164
More book examples (3)
Man progresses generally, not both legs at once like a sparrow, but by putting one leg forward first, and then the other.
Edward CarpenterPagan and Christian Creeds: Their Origin and MeaningProject Gutenberg ebook #1561
If you are near enough to this perch you may overhear the zee-e-e-e-e-e-e-e that has earned it the name of grasshopper sparrow.
Neltje BlanchanBird Neighbors An Introductory Acquaintance with One Hundred and Fifty Birds Commonly Found in the Gardens, Meadows, and Woods About Our HomesProject Gutenberg ebook #1889
Altogether she looked more as if she might be a big member of the Sparrow family than the wife of handsome Rosebreast.
Thornton W. (Thornton Waldo) BurgessThe Burgess Bird Book for ChildrenProject Gutenberg ebook #3074