Chirrup: meaning, definitions and examples

This word is often used to describe the repetitive, cheerful sounds made by small birds. It can also describe a human making similar sounds in a playful or happy manner.

• The robins were chirruping in the early morning light.
• She chirruped in delight when she saw her birthday cake.

Chirp is a general term for the short, sharp sounds made by birds or insects. It is commonly used for a variety of bird calls and can also describe electronic sounds.

• The cricket's chirp resonated through the night air.
• Birds began to chirp as the sun started to rise.

Twitter refers to the rapid, high-pitched, and continuous sounds made by birds. It gives an impression of a flurry of short notes and is often used poetically or descriptively in literature.

• The canaries twittered excitedly in their cages.
• She could hear the twitter of finches outside her window on a spring morning.

Cheep is typically used to describe the high-pitched sounds made by young birds, particularly chicks. It's often associated with the calls of small, fragile birds.

• The baby chicks began to cheep as soon as they hatched.
• I could hear the cheeping of sparrow chicks hidden in the bushes.

Similar to the first entry 'chirrup', this also describes repetitive bird sounds. It can sometimes be used interchangeably with 'chirp' but often implies a more continuous sound.

• The robin's chirrup echoed through the quiet garden.
• She woke up to the cheerful chirrup of birds outside her window.

Chirp can refer to the sharp, clear sounds made by birds or insects. It's a more general term than 'cheep' and can describe sounds from both young and adult birds as well as insects.

• The birds chirped happily in the trees overhead.
• At dusk, the air was filled with the chirp of crickets.

Twitter is used to describe a series of short, high-pitched sounds made by birds, usually conveying a sense of lightness and quickness. It can also be used more abstractly to capture the image of birds communicating with each other.

• Birds twittered in the early morning light.
• We sat on the porch, listening to the gentle twitter of the finches.

This word is typically used to describe the short, high-pitched sounds made by young birds, especially chicks. It often conveys a sense of fragility or the early stages of life.

• The tiny chicks cheeped softly under their mother's wings.
• We could hear the cheep of baby birds coming from the nest.