Adjacent Words

Crow definitions

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Webster's 1828 Dictionary

CROW, n. [G., L.]
1. A large black fowl, of the genus Corvus; the beak is convex and cultrated, the nostrils are covered with bristly feathers, the tongue is forked and cartilaginous. This is a voracious fowl, feeding on carrion and grain, particularly maiz, which it pulls up, just after it appears above ground.
To pluck or pull a crow, is to be industrious or contentious about a trifle, or thing of no value.
2. A bar of iron with a beak, crook or two claws, used in raising and moving heavy weights.
3. The voice of the cock. [See the Verb.]
CROW, v.i. pret. and pp. crowed; formerly, pret. crew. [Gr. See the Noun.]
1. To cry or make a noise as a cock, in joy, gaiety or defiance.
2. To boast in triumph; to vaunt; to vapor; to swagger. [A popular, but not an elegant use of the word.]

WordNet (r) 3.0 (2005)

n
1: black birds having a raucous call
2: the cry of a cock (or an imitation of it)
3: a member of the Siouan people formerly living in eastern Montana
4: a small quadrilateral constellation in the southern hemisphere near Virgo [syn: Corvus, Crow]
5: an instance of boastful talk; "his brag is worse than his fight"; "whenever he won we were exposed to his gasconade" [syn: brag, bragging, crow, crowing, vaporing, line-shooting, gasconade]
6: a Siouan language spoken by the Crow v
1: dwell on with satisfaction [syn: gloat, triumph, crow]
2: express pleasure verbally; "She crowed with joy"
3: utter shrill sounds; "The cocks crowed all morning"

Merriam Webster's

I. noun Etymology: Middle English crowe, from Old English cr?we; akin to Old High German kr?wa crow, Old English cr?wan to crow Date: before 12th century 1. any of various large usually entirely glossy black passerine birds (family Corvidae and especially genus Corvus) 2. capitalized a. a member of an American Indian people of the region between the Platte and Yellowstone rivers b. the language of the Crow people 3. capitalized Corvus 4. humble pie <the braggart was forced to eat crow> II. verb (crowed; also in sense 1 chiefly British crew; crowing) Etymology: Middle English, from Old English cr?wan Date: before 12th century intransitive verb 1. to make the loud shrill sound characteristic of a cock 2. to utter a sound expressive of pleasure 3. a. to exult gloatingly especially over the distress of another b. to brag exultantly or blatantly transitive verb to say with self-satisfaction Synonyms: see boast III. noun Date: 13th century 1. the cry of the cock 2. a triumphant cry

Oxford Reference Dictionary

1. n. 1 any large black bird of the genus Corvus, having a powerful black beak. 2 any similar bird of the family Corvidae, e.g. the raven, rook, and jackdaw. 3 sl. derog. a woman, esp. an old or ugly one. Phrases and idioms: as the crow flies in a straight line. crow-bill forceps for extracting bullets etc. crow's-foot (pl. -feet) 1 (usu. in pl.) a wrinkle at the outer corner of a person's eye. 2 Mil. a caltrop. crow's-nest a barrel or platform fixed at the masthead of a sailing vessel as a shelter for a lookout man. crow steps corbie-steps. crow-toe archaic or dial. any of various flowers, esp. the bluebell or buttercup. eat crow US submit to humiliation. Etymology: OE crawe ult. f. WG 2. v. & n. --v.intr. 1 (past crowed or crew) (of a cock) utter its characteristic loud cry. 2 (of a baby) utter happy cries. 3 (usu. foll. by over) express unrestrained gleeful satisfaction. --n. 1 the cry of a cock. 2 a happy cry of a baby. Etymology: OE crawan, of imit. orig.

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Crow Crow (kr?), v. i. [imp. Crew (kr?) or Crowed (kr?d); p. p. Crowed (Crown (kr?n), Obs.); p. pr. & vb. n. Crowing.] [AS. cr?wan; akin to D. kraijen, G. kr?hen, cf. Lith. groti to croak. [root]24. Cf. Crake.] 1. To make the shrill sound characteristic of a cock, either in joy, gayety, or defiance. ``The cock had crown.'' --Bayron. The morning cock crew loud. --Shak. 2. To shout in exultation or defiance; to brag. 3. To utter a sound expressive of joy or pleasure. The sweetest little maid, That ever crowed for kisses. --Tennyson. To crow over, to exult over a vanquished antagonist. Sennacherib crowing over poor Jerusalem. --Bp. Hall.

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Crow Crow, n. [AS. cr?we a crow (in sense 1); akin to D. kraai, G. kr?e; cf. Icel. kr?ka crow. So named from its cry, from AS. cr?wan to crow. See Crow, v. i. ] 1. (Zo["o]l.) A bird, usually black, of the genus Corvus, having a strong conical beak, with projecting bristles. It has a harsh, croaking note. See Caw. Note: The common crow of Europe, or carrion crow, is C. corone. The common American crow is C. Americanus. See Carrion crow, and Illustr., under Carrion. 2. A bar of iron with a beak, crook, or claw; a bar of iron used as a lever; a crowbar. Get me an iron crow, and bring it straight Unto my cell. --Shak. 3. The cry of the cock. See Crow, v. i., 1. 4. The mesentery of a beast; -- so called by butchers. Carrion crow. See under Carrion. Crow blackbird (Zo["o]l.), an American bird (Quiscalus quiscula); -- called also purple grackle. Crow pheasant (Zo["o]l.), an Indian cuckoo; the common coucal. It is believed by the natives to give omens. See Coucal. Crow shrike (Zo["o]l.), any bird of the genera Gymnorhina, Craticus, or Strepera, mostly from Australia. Red-legged crow. See Crough. As the crow flies, in a direct line. To pick a crow, To pluck a crow, to state and adjust a difference or grievance (with any one).

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Crows Crows (kr?z), n. pl.; sing. Crow. (Ethnol.) A tribe of Indians of the Dakota stock, living in Montana; -- also called Upsarokas.

Collin's Cobuild Dictionary

(crows, crowing, crowed) 1. A crow is a large black bird which makes a loud, harsh noise. N-COUNT 2. When a cock crows, it makes a loud sound, often early in the morning. The cock crows and the dawn chorus begins. VERB: V 3. If you say that someone is crowing about something they have achieved or are pleased about, you disapprove of them because they keep telling people proudly about it. (INFORMAL) Edwards is already crowing about his assured victory... We've seen them all crowing that the movement is dead. = boast VERB: V about/over n, V that [disapproval] 4. If you say that a place is a particular distance away as the crow flies, you mean that it is that distance away measured in a straight line. I live at Mesa, Washington, about 10 miles as the crow flies from Hanford. PHRASE: oft amount PHR

Soule's Dictionary of English Synonyms

v. n. Boast, brag, vaunt, bluster, swagger, vapor, triumph, gasconade, chuckle, exult.

1811 Dictionary of the Vulgar Tongue

To brag, boast, or triumph. To crow over any one; to keep him in subjection: an image drawn from a cock, who crows over a vanquished enemy. To pluck a crow; to reprove any one for a fault committed, to settle a dispute. To strut like a crow in a gutter; to walk proudly, or with an air of consequence.

Foolish Dictionary

A bird that never complains without caws.

Moby Thesaurus

Homeric laughter, aphonia, artificial voice, bar, bark, bawl, be in stitches, beam, bellow, belly laugh, blare, blat, blow, blubber, bluster, boff, boffola, boom, brag, bray, break up, breathe, broken speech, broken tones, broken voice, burst into laughter, burst of laughter, burst out, burst out laughing, burst with laughter, bust a gut, buzz, cachinnate, cachinnation, cackle, call, cant hook, carol, caw, chant, charcoal, chatter, cheep, childish treble, chirk, chirp, chirr, chirrup, chitter, choked voice, chortle, chuck, chuckle, clack, claw bar, cluck, coal, cock-a-doodle-doo, convulsion, coo, cracked voice, crank, croak, cronk, crow over, crowbar, cry, cuckoo, delight, drawl, drum, dysarthria, dyslalia, dyslogia, dysphasia, dysphonia, dysphrasia, ebon, ebony, exclaim, exult, falsetto, fit of laughter, flute, gabble, gaggle, gales of laughter, gasconade, gasp, giggle, gloat, gloat over, glory, go into convulsions, gobble, growl, grunt, guffaw, guggle, ha-ha, handspike, harshness, hawking voice, hearty laugh, hee-haw, hee-hee, hilarity, hiss, ho-ho, hoarseness, honk, hoo, hoot, horselaugh, idioglossia, idiolalia, impairment of speech, ink, iron crow, jet, jimmy, joy, jubilate, keen, laugh, laugh it up, laugh outright, laughing, laughter, lever, lilt, limb, lisp, lisping, look big, loss of voice, marlinespike, mouth, mumble, murmur, mutter, muzzy speech, nasal tone, nasalization, nearly die laughing, night, outburst of laughter, outrigger, pant, peal of laughter, peavey, pedal, peep, pinch bar, pip, pipe, pitch, prate, prize, pry, puff, quack, quaver, raven, ripping bar, risibility, roar, roar of laughter, roar with laughter, rodomontade, roll, rumble, scold, scream, screech, shake, shake like jelly, shake with laughter, shout, shout of laughter, shriek, sibilate, sibilation, sigh, sing, sloe, smoke, smut, snap, snarl, snicker, snigger, snort, sob, soot, spar, speech defect, speech impediment, split, split with laughter, squall, squawk, squeal, tar, tee-hee, thunder, titter, treadle, tremor, trill, triumph, trumpet, twang, tweet, twit, twitter, vaunt, wail, warble, whine, whisper, whistle, wrecking bar, yap, yawp, yell, yelp, yuck, yuk-yuk