sparrow

sparrow — noun

1. a small wild bird with brown and grey feathers that is commonly seen near houses

1.nounA1
Definition

a small wild bird with brown and grey feathers that is commonly seen near houses, in parks, and on city streets, often hopping on the ground or gathering in groups

Example

Antonia watched a sparrow hopping across the pavement outside her window.

sparrow + hopping across [surface] — typical movement pattern

The children scatter breadcrumbs on the grass for the sparrows every morning.

scatter [food] for the sparrows — common feeding collocation

Common collocations
  • house sparrow
  • flock of sparrows
  • sparrows chirp / twitter
  • feed the sparrows

Grammar Patterns

a sparrow

sparrows (plural)

Usage Note

In everyday British English, 'sparrow' usually refers to the house sparrow, the most common type found around human homes. Other small brownish birds (such as finches) are not called sparrows.

Common Mistakes

I saw a sparrow robin in the garden.
I saw a sparrow in the garden.
'Robin' is a different bird, not a type of sparrow.

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

All four words name small common birds, but they refer to different families. A sparrow is brownish-grey, lives near buildings, and hops on the ground. A robin has a red or orange breast and is often seen in gardens. A finch has a short, thick beak adapted for seeds and comes in many colours (e.g. the greenfinch or goldfinch). A swallow has long pointed wings and a forked tail, flies quickly catching insects, and migrates seasonally. In everyday speech, if a Taiwanese learner sees a small brown bird on the street, 'sparrow' is the safest general label; if it has a red chest, it is a robin; if it has bright yellow or green patches, it is probably a finch.

sparrow ↗robinfinchswallow ↗

Common collocations

Nouns

  • house sparrow
  • sparrow nest
  • sparrow hawk

Phrases

  • as common as a sparrow

Prepositions

  • a flock of sparrows
  • sparrows in the garden

Etymology

Proto-GermanicOld EnglishMiddle EnglishEnglish

The word 'sparrow' comes from Old English 'spearwa', which goes back to a very old Germanic root meaning 'bird that moves with quick, fluttering movements'. It is related to similar words in other Germanic languages, such as Old High German 'sparo' and Old Norse 'spǫrr'. The same ancient root may also be linked to the Latin word 'parra', which referred to a kind of bird. The word has been used in English for over a thousand years to describe the small brown birds that live close to human homes.