Chirp
/t͡ʃɜːp/ noun, verb, slang
noun, verb, slang ·Common ·Middle school level
Definitions
Noun
- 1 A short, sharp or high note or noise, as of a bird or insect.
- 2 a sharp sound made by small birds or insects wordnet
- 3 A pulse of signal whose frequency sweeps through a band of frequencies for the duration of the pulse; the quality of having a such a variation in frequency.
"The long fiber lengths required to linearize the chirp can then be used […]"
Verb
- 1 To make a short, sharp, cheerful note, as of small birds or crickets; to chitter; to twitter. intransitive
""Well, I suppose you didn't come out of the egg either before you could chirp," said the woman who was on the egg."
- 2 make high-pitched sounds wordnet
- 3 To speak in a high-pitched staccato. intransitive
- 4 sing in modulation wordnet
- 5 To modify (a pulse of signal) so that it sweeps through a band of frequencies throughout its duration. transitive
Show 3 more definitions
- 6 To cheer up; to make (someone) happier. obsolete, transitive
- 7 To speak rapid insulting comical banter back and forth; to bicker or argue. Canada
- 8 To inform on someone; snitch. UK, obsolete, slang
Antonyms
All antonymsExample
More examples"At sunset, the crickets begin to chirp and the fireflies light up the night."
Etymology
From Middle English *chirpen (attested only in the derivative Middle English chirpinge, cyrpynge, chyrypynge (“chirping”). Compare Middle English chirken and chirmen. More at chirk, chirm. Compare also Middle English chirten (“to smack, chirrup”).