Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • noun Any of several large glossy black birds of the genus Corvus, having a characteristic raucous call, especially C. brachyrhynchos of North America.
  • noun A crowbar.
  • idiom (as the crow flies) In a straight line.
  • intransitive verb To utter the shrill cry characteristic of a rooster.
  • intransitive verb To exult over an accomplishment or piece of good fortune; boast. synonym: boast.
  • intransitive verb To make a sound expressive of pleasure or well-being, characteristic of an infant.
  • noun The shrill cry of a rooster.
  • noun An inarticulate sound expressive of pleasure or delight.

from The Century Dictionary.

  • noun In the West Indies, particularly in Jamaica, the black vulture, Catharista atrata.
  • noun The characteristic cry of the cock: sometimes applied to a similar cry of some other bird.
  • To cry as a cock; utter the characteristic cry of a cock.
  • To boast in triumph; vaunt; vapor; swagger: absolutely, or with over or about.
  • To utter a shouting sound expressive of pleasure, as an infant.
  • To announce by crowing.
  • noun A general name including most birds of the genus Corrus and of the family Corvidæ; especially, one of the Corvinæ. See these three words.
  • noun A name of several birds of other families. See the phrases below.
  • noun The constellation Corvus.
  • noun The mesentery or ruffle of a beast: so called by butchers.
  • noun One who watches or stands guard while another commits a theft; a confederate in a robbery.
  • noun A crowbar.
  • noun A device for holding a gas- or water-main in position while it is tapped for a service-pipe.

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

  • noun (Zoöl.) A bird, usually black, of the genus Corvus, having a strong conical beak, with projecting bristles. It has a harsh, croaking note. See Caw.
  • noun A bar of iron with a beak, crook, or claw; a bar of iron used as a lever; a crowbar.
  • noun The cry of the cock. See Crow, v. i., 1.
  • noun The mesentery of a beast; -- so called by butchers.
  • noun See under Carrion.
  • noun (Zoöl.) an American bird (Quiscalus quiscula); -- called also purple grackle.
  • noun (Zoöl.) an Indian cuckoo; the common coucal. It is believed by the natives to give omens. See Coucal.
  • noun (Zoöl.) any bird of the genera Gymnorhina, Craticus, or Strepera, mostly from Australia.
  • noun See Crough.
  • noun in a direct line.
  • noun to state and adjust a difference or grievance (with any one).
  • intransitive verb To make the shrill sound characteristic of a cock, either in joy, gayety, or defiance.
  • intransitive verb To shout in exultation or defiance; to brag.
  • intransitive verb To utter a sound expressive of joy or pleasure.
  • intransitive verb to exult over a vanquished antagonist.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • noun A bird, usually black, of the genus Corvus, having a strong conical beak, with projecting bristles; it has a harsh, croaking call.
  • noun A bar of iron with a beak, crook, or claw; a bar of iron used as a lever; a crowbar.
  • noun The cry of the rooster.
  • verb To make the shrill sound characteristic of a rooster; to make a sound in this manner, either in joy, gaiety, or defiance.
  • verb To shout in exultation or defiance; to brag.
  • verb To utter a sound expressive of joy or pleasure.

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

  • noun the cry of a cock (or an imitation of it)
  • verb utter shrill sounds
  • noun a small quadrilateral constellation in the southern hemisphere near Virgo
  • verb dwell on with satisfaction
  • verb express pleasure verbally
  • noun a Siouan language spoken by the Crow
  • noun a member of the Siouan people formerly living in eastern Montana

Etymologies

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition

[Middle English croue, from Old English crāwe; see gerə- in Indo-European roots. Sense 2, from the resemblance of its forked end to a crow's foot or beak.]

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition

[Middle English crouen, from Old English crāwan; see gerə- in Indo-European roots.]

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

Middle English crowe, from Old English crāwe, from Proto-Germanic *krāwō (compare West Frisian krie, Dutch kraai, German Krähe), from *krāhanan ‘to crow’. See below.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

Middle English crowen, from Old English crāwan, from Proto-Germanic *krāhanan (compare Dutch kraaien, German krähen), from Proto-Indo-European *greh₂- ‘to caw, croak’ (compare Lithuanian gróti, Russian граять (grájat')). Related to croak.

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Examples

Comments

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  • A cold, croaking, coal-colored crow clawed corn and cawed.

    --Tongue Twisters and Tricky Tanglers by Duncan Emrich

    September 11, 2007

  • "Navy-speak for the enlisted rank insignia worn on the left arm of a uniform by petty officers. The insignia consists of an eagle perched atop one to three chevrons. (Unlike a crow, a chief petty officer's anchors are worn on the collar.) One favorite, albeit illegal, Navy ritual is to "tack" on the crows of newly promoted petty officers. Supposedly the new crow will be prevented from coming off if every enlisted person of a higher rank takes turns hammering it into the arm of the wearer with their fists (although, it has been proven that this does not actually work in some cases.)"

    - rubbermice.com

    February 27, 2008

  • Why is that roosters crow but crows caw?

    November 10, 2008

  • Citation on woundily.

    January 12, 2022