different between chirrup vs whimper

English

Etymology

Variant of chirp.

Verb

chirrup (third-person singular simple present chirrups, present participle chirruping, simple past and past participle chirruped)

1. (intransitive) To make a series of chirps, clicks or clucks.
   • 1841 James Fenimore Cooper, The Deerslayer: Or, the First War-path, Chapter 17,^[1]

     When other folks' squirrels are at home and asleep, yourn keep in motion among the trees and chirrup and sing, in a way that even a Delaware gal can understand their music!

2. (transitive) To express by chirping.

   The crickets chirruped their song.

3. (transitive) To quicken or animate by chirping.

   to chirrup a horse

Translations

Noun

chirrup (plural chirrups)

1. A series of chirps, clicks or clucks.
   • 1845 Charles Dickens, The Cricket on the Hearth, Chirp the First,^[2]

     And here, if you like, the Cricket DID chime in! with a Chirrup, Chirrup, Chirrup of such magnitude, by way of chorus […]

   • 2004, Alan Hollinghurst, The Line of Beauty, Bloomsbury, 2005, Chapter 9,

     […] the music flashed by in delirious chirrups and stampings.

2. (figuratively, derogatory) A brief, high-pitched, insignificant statement.

English

Etymology

From dialectal whimp (“to whine”) +? -er (frequentative suffix). Compare German wimmern (“to whimper, whine”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /?w?mp?(?)/, /???mp?(?)/
• Rhymes: -?mp?(?)

Noun

whimper (plural whimpers)

1. A low intermittent sob.

Translations

Verb

whimper (third-person singular simple present whimpers, present participle whimpering, simple past and past participle whimpered)

1. To cry or sob softly and intermittently.

   The lonely puppy began to whimper as soon as we left the room.

   • 1886, Robert Louis Stevenson, Strange Case Of Dr Jekyll And Mr Hyde

     At the sight of Mr. Utterson, the housemaid broke into hysterical whimpering; and the cook, crying out "Bless God! it's Mr. Utterson," ran forward as if to take him in her arms.

2. To cry with a low, whining, broken voice; to whine; to complain.
   • March 22 1549, Hugh Latimer, third sermon preached before King Edward VI

     Was there ever yet preacher but there were gainsayers that spurned, that winced, that whimpered against him?

3. To say something in a whimpering manner.

   "Master, please don't punish me!" he whimpered.

Synonyms

• See also Thesaurus:weep

Derived terms

• whimperative

Translations