Standard Lemma guide

chirr

noun · verb · 3 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • Australian, Received-Pronunciation: /t͡ʃɜː/
  • Southern-England: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • Australia: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • General-American: /t͡ʃɝ/
  • Scotland: /t͡ʃɪr/
  • New-Zealand: /t͡ʃøː/
  • /t͡ʃeː/ Liverpool, fair–fur merger
  • /t͡ʃɛː/ Humberside, Teesside, fair–fur merger
  • rhymes with -ɜː(ɹ)
  • homophone: chur
  • homophone: churr (both fern–fir–fur merger)
  • homophone: chair (fair–fur merger)

1

noun

Meaning 1

The trilled sound made by an insect.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

verb

Meaning 2

To make the prolonged trilling sound of an insect (e.g. a grasshopper, a cicada).

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: intransitive

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

3

verb

Meaning 3

make a vibrant noise, of grasshoppers or cicadas

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: utter, emit, let out, let loose

History

Etymology

Imitative, ca. 1600. More at churr.

Across languages

Translations

10 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Finnish: siritys — trilled sound
  • Russian: стрекота́ние (strekotánije) — trilled sound
  • Russian: треща́ние (treščánije) — trilled sound
  • Spanish: chirrido — trilled sound
  • Finnish: sirittää — to make a trilled sound
  • Russian: стрекота́ть (strekotátʹ) — to make a trilled sound
  • Russian: треща́ть (treščátʹ) — to make a trilled sound
  • Spanish: grillar — to make a trilled sound
  • Spanish: chirriar — to make a trilled sound
  • Swedish: syrsa — to make a trilled sound