MEANING
To make a low, repeated trilling or rattling sound, especially as an insect or bird does.
Use it for
Words that belong together
- insects chirr
- a chirring call
On the page
Insects chirred in the grass long after the house lights went out.
Nearby words
Related words
Word forms
- Base
- chirr
- Past tense
- chirred
- Past participle
- chirred
- Present participle
- chirring
Full tense & aspect guide
- Present
- chirr
- Present continuous
- am/is/are chirring
- Present perfect
- have/has chirred
- Present perfect continuous
- have/has been chirring
- Past
- chirred
- Past continuous
- was/were chirring
- Past perfect
- had chirred
- Past perfect continuous
- had been chirring
- Future
- will chirr
- Future continuous
- will be chirring
- Future perfect
- will have chirred
- Future perfect continuous
- will have been chirring
Choose the auxiliary that agrees with your subject. These are constructions of one word, not separate entries.
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Usage notes
Primary category: sensory / description. Forms: chirr; chirrs; chirred; chirred; chirring Legacy lexical fields mirror sense 1 only. Use numbered sense fields for all meanings. Established modern English lexical item. No separate regional spelling or grammatical inflection entry. Writing functions: description. Commonness: uncommon. Third-person singular: chirrs.
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