What does crower mean?
"Crower" is a noun denoting someone who crows — that is, a person who loudly boasts or gloats over a success, often to the irritation of those around them. It is formed from the verb "to crow," which originally described the distinctive call of a rooster but came by extension to mean exulting openly over one's own achievements. A champion who will not stop reminding rivals of his victory might be dismissed as a mere crower. Though grammatically regular and easily understood, the word is comparatively uncommon today, with synonyms such as boaster, braggart, and swaggerer appearing far more frequently in both British and American English. In its literal sense it can describe any creature — typically a cockerel — that produces the characteristic crowing sound, though this use survives mainly in older or deliberately rustic prose. For readers encountering it, crower offers a vivid, slightly old-fashioned way to characterize self-satisfied triumphalism.
nounA person who crows — that is, one who boasts or exults loudly and gloatingly about something; also, literally, a rooster that crows.
- A person who boasts or exults loudly about something.
- A rooster or bird that crows.
"He was an insufferable crower after winning the match, reminding everyone of his victory for days."
"The defeated team had no patience left for the victors' crower in their locker room."
"At dawn, the crower on the neighboring farm roused the whole village."
Regular plural formation; used when referring to multiple boastful people or multiple birds that crow.
"The tavern was full of crowers, each louder than the last."
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of crower
"Crower" derives from the Middle English verb "crouen" (to crow), which comes from Old English "crāwan," imitative of the sound a rooster makes. The figurative sense of boasting developed in Middle English, so the agent noun carries both literal and figurative senses. It shares its Germanic roots with related words across the Germanic language family that denote the bird's harsh cry.
Related word forms
How crower is actually used
The word is relatively rare in modern usage; "boaster" or "braggart" are more common when referring to a boastful person. The literal sense (a bird that crows) is chiefly literary or archaic.
Easily confused with crower
"Crow" is the bird itself or the verb meaning to boast, while "crower" is the noun for the agent who crows or boasts.