WordGarden.iocrow
B1Pronunciation
UK
- /krˈəʊ/
US
- /ˈkroʊ/
Meanings
Noun
a large black bird of the crow family
a contemptuous term for an old woman
Verb
to make the loud call of a rooster or similar bird
to boast or gloat loudly
Proper-noun
the Crow people, an Indigenous people of North America
the language of the Crow people
Beyond the definition
A crow is a large, black bird known for its intelligence and its distinctive, harsh "caw." But "crow" is also an expressive verb. To crow can mean to brag or boast loudly—like a victorious athlete who crows about winning a championship. It can also mean to make the loud call of a rooster at dawn. You might say someone is "crowing" about a new job, meaning they are celebrating their good news a bit too loudly.
The word "crow" most commonly refers to the sleek, black bird of the Corvus genus—highly intelligent creatures often seen scavenging in fields or perched atop trees. These birds are famous for their "caw," a sound used to communicate within their complex social flocks. Throughout history, they have been powerful symbols in folklore, representing everything from cleverness to ill omens.
However, "crow" takes on a different life as a verb. It can mean to make a rooster’s loud dawn call, and from that idea it also came to mean to boast loudly and proudly. If someone "crows" about their accomplishments, they are bragging with great enthusiasm—and perhaps a touch of arrogance. For example, "After acing the exam, she couldn't help but crow to her classmates."
The word also appears in a famous idiomatic expression: "to eat crow." This means to be forced to admit you were wrong after taking a strong, boastful position. It adds a layer of humility to a word otherwise associated with pride.
Whether you are observing the clever behavior of a black bird, listening to a rooster at dawn, or describing a friend who is boasting about a win, "crow" connects the natural world to the human impulse to announce success—or occasionally, to admit defeat.
Examples
- 1
Garden bird
A crow landed on the garden wall and stared at us.
- 2
Field birds
Crows often gather in the field after the farmer has plowed it.
- 3
Park theft
A crow snatched a piece of bread from the park bench.
- 4
Straight-line distance
The cabin is only two miles away as the crow flies.
- Phraseas the crow flies
in a straight line, not by road
More examplesFewer examples
- 5
Rooster sound
We heard the rooster crow just before sunrise.
- 6
Boasting
He was already crowing about his exam results before anyone else had seen them.
- Patterncrow about + success
talk too proudly about it
See also
Forms and spellings
5 forms open this card.
Main spelling
- crownounverb
Forms
- crewpast tenseverbnoun
- crowspluralnounverb
- crowing-ing formverbnoun
- crowedpast tensepast participleverbnoun