What does "scarecrow" mean?
An effigy, typically made of straw and dressed in old clothes, fixed to a pole in a field to deter birds from eating crops or seeds planted there.
Scarecrow
/ˈskɛəkɹəʊ/ noun, verb
noun, verb ·Moderate ·High school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: An effigy, typically made of straw and dressed in old clothes, fixed to a pole in a field to deter birds from eating crops or seeds planted there.
- Grammar: scarecrow is listed as noun, verb.
- Nearest alternatives: baboon, bag, bete noire, bird decoy.
- Useful contrasts: live bird, real bird, reality.
- Usage evidence: The scarecrow in the backyard fell over during the hurricane.
How to use "scarecrow"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "scarecrow" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "scarecrow" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "scarecrow" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "scarecrow" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "scarecrow" is acting as noun, verb in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "baboon" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.
Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "scarecrow", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Noun
- 1 An effigy, typically made of straw and dressed in old clothes, fixed to a pole in a field to deter birds from eating crops or seeds planted there.
"VVots thou vvho's returnd, / The unthrift Bonvile, ragged as a ſcarre-crovv, / The VVarres have gnavv'd his garments to the skinne: […]"
- 2 an effigy in the shape of a man to frighten birds away from seeds wordnet
- 3 A person or animal regarded as resembling a scarecrow (sense 1) in some way; especially, a tall, thin, awkward person; or a person wearing ragged and tattered clothes. broadly, derogatory
"The ſeely man ſeeing him ryde ſo ranck, / And ayme at him, fell flatt to ground for feare, / And crying Mercy loud, his pitious handes gan reare. // Thereat the Scarcrovv vvexed vvondrous provvd, / Through fortune of his firſt aduenture fayre, / And vvith big thundring voice reuyld him lovvd; […]"
- 4 Synonym of crow scarer (“a farmhand employed to scare birds from the fields”). dated
- 5 Anything that appears terrifying but presents no danger; a paper tiger. figuratively
"VVith ſcoffes and ſcornes, and contumelious taunts, In open Market-place produc't they me, To be a publique ſpectacle to all: Here, ſayd they, is the Terror of the French, The Scar-Crovv that affrights our Children ſo."
Show 3 more definitions
- 6 Military equipment or tactics used to scare and deter rather than cause actual damage. figuratively, historical
- 7 The black tern (Chlidonias niger). British, dialectal, obsolete
- 8 The hooded crow (Corvus cornix). British, dialectal, obsolete
Verb
- 1 To cause (a person, their body, etc.) to look awkward and stiff, like a scarecrow (noun sense 1). transitive
"It felt as though the house could keep disgorging debris forever, a tidal wave of unmatched slippers and dresses scarecrowed on hangers, and after sifting through it all we would still know nothing."
- 2 To cause (a person, their body, etc.) to look awkward and stiff, like a scarecrow (noun sense 1).; To splay (one's arms) away from the body, like the arms of a scarecrow. transitive
"With his stiff, awkward body, his knees bent, his arms scarecrowed far to either side, he had acted it all out, had been Adam trembling in the garden of his lost innocence, Moses on Sinai, Jahweh creating the heavens and the earth; […]"
- 3 To frighten or terrify (someone or something), as if using a scarecrow. transitive
"[T]hat old acquaintance, […] is neither lullabied with thy sweete Papp, nor ſcarre-crowed with thy ſower hatchet."
- 4 To spoil the appearance of (something, such as the landscape or a view), as scarecrows may be regarded as doing. archaic, transitive
"Fatigued and hungry as our party were after a long drive through the desolate region of malaria, wild buffaloes, wild birds, and yet wilder specimens of the human race, which here and there scare-crow the broad, sadly picturesque expanse between the last cork-trees near Salerno, and the treeless vicinage of the temple of Neptune, we dared not venture upon fish with green bones,—the only dish served up for our repast; […] we all preferred bearing our hunger, and traversing a second time the fiery plain unrefreshed, to breaking our fast upon such suspicious diet; […]"
Synonyms
All synonymsExample
"The scarecrow in the backyard fell over during the hurricane."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "scarecrow"?
Common synonyms include: baboon, bag, bete noire, bird decoy, bird-scarer, blemish.
How do you use "scarecrow" in a sentence?
The scarecrow in the backyard fell over during the hurricane.
How do you pronounce "scarecrow"?
Pronounced /ˈskɛəkɹəʊ/.
Etymology
The noun is derived from scare (“to frighten, startle, terrify”) + crow (“bird of the genus Corvus”). The word displaced other terms such as bogle (now dialectal, dated), sewel or shewel, and shoy-hoy (perhaps imitative of the cry of crows). The verb is derived from the noun.