chirp

chirp — verb

1. to produce a series of short, high-pitched sounds, as small birds and some insec

1.動詞不及物A2
釋義

to produce a series of short, high-pitched sounds, as small birds and some insects do

例句

Each morning at sunrise, a sparrow chirps outside Ravi's bedroom window.

intransitive: chirp + adverbial of place

The baby chicks chirped loudly as the farmer brought their food.

同義詞
  • peep

    softer, thinner sound; often used for very young birds

  • tweet

    more informal; often used in casual conversation about songbirds

  • chirrup

    a repeated series of short chirps, often with a livelier tone

反義詞
  • roar

    a very loud, deep sound made by large animals or machines

文法句型

chirp + adverbial (place/time)

chirp + infinitive of purpose

用法筆記

Subject is usually a small bird (sparrow, robin, finch, canary) or an insect such as a cricket or grasshopper.

常見錯誤

❌The cat chirped at the door.
✅The cat meowed at the door.
💡chirp describes sounds of birds and some insects, not household mammals like cats or dogs.
❌The car engine chirped loudly.
✅The car engine squeaked loudly.
💡chirp is not used for mechanical noises.

2. to speak in a bright, lively way that shows you are in a happy mood — used espec

2.動詞及物 / 不及物B1
釋義

to speak in a bright, lively way that shows you are in a happy mood — used especially when someone says a greeting or shares exciting news

例句

"I got the job!" Theo chirped as soon as his sister walked through the door.

speech verb: chirped + direct speech

The children chirped with excitement when they saw the birthday cake.

collocation: chirp with excitement

同義詞
  • twitter

    also suggests excited, light-hearted talk; less common in modern use

  • warble

    more musical; can sound old-fashioned for speech

  • sing out

    phrasal verb; louder and more energetic than chirp

反義詞
  • grumble

    speak in an unhappy, complaining way

  • growl

    speak in a low, angry voice

文法句型

chirp + direct speech

chirp + noun phrase (greeting/goodbye)

chirp + adverbial

用法筆記

Only used for human speech; for bird sounds use verb sense 1. Typically appears in written dialogue tags or informal narrative.

常見錯誤

❌The sparrow chirped, "Good morning!
✅The sparrow chirped on the fence.
💡use sense 1 for actual bird sounds; chirp + speech is only for human voices.

chirp — noun