chirp chirp

Meanings

1. 1interjection

   A written or spoken imitation of the short, high sounds that small birds or insects make.

   Grammar: Used on its own as a comment or sound effect, not as part of a sentence: 'Chirp chirp!' went the sparrow.

   Chirp chirp! A little sparrow landed on the windowsill.

   She lifted the cage cover and said, 'Chirp chirp, good morning,' to her canary.

   The baby book has a button that plays 'chirp chirp' when you press it.

2. 2nouncountableinformal

   The repeated chirping sound itself, especially when it seems to come again and again.

   Grammar: Usually singular and used with 'a' or 'the': a chirp chirp came from the tree.

   Patterns

   • a chirp chirp from something
   • hear a chirp chirp

   From the garden came a steady chirp chirp, as if a whole family of birds were talking.

   There was a faint chirp chirp behind the wall, and we guessed a cricket was hiding there.

Common combinations

go chirp chirp

The toy bird goes chirp chirp whenever you squeeze it.

a chirp chirp sound

A chirp chirp sound came from the hedge beside the path.

hear a chirp chirp

At dawn you can hear a chirp chirp outside almost every window.

chirp chirp in the trees

It was so quiet that the chirp chirp in the trees seemed very loud.

say 'chirp chirp'

The children took turns saying 'chirp chirp' like baby birds.

Synonyms and how they differ

tweet

Also imitates a bird sound, but it is more often used for a single clear note and is now strongly linked to social media posts.

cheep

Very close in meaning, though it usually suggests the thin, weak sound of a baby bird rather than any small bird.

chirrup

Describes a series of light chirps, so it sounds more continuous and cheerful than one short chirp chirp.

Word family

chirp verb

To make a short, high sound, as a bird or insect does.

chirp noun

A single short, high sound made by a bird or insect.

chirping noun

The act or sound of making short, high bird-like noises.

Commonly confused: chirp chirp or chirpy?

Practice

Make it your own

Write a sentence using “chirp chirp”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.

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