noun
scarecrow
SKEH-uhk-roh
noun
1
A figure made to look human, dressed in old clothes and set up in a field to frighten birds away from crops.
"The farmer propped a scarecrow up among the cornstalks."
2
A very thin, awkward, or raggedly dressed person.
"After the illness he looked like a scarecrow."
How to Use Scarecrow
Learner’s notesIn plain EnglishA stuffed, human-shaped figure in a field meant to keep birds away — or, informally, a thin, ragged-looking person.
Common pairings
straw scarecrow
scarecrow in the field
Word Forms
scarecrowed past tense, scarecrows plural, scarecrows singular
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The farmer propped a _____ up among the cornstalks.
Etymology
Formed from "scare" plus "crow," since its original purpose was to scare crows off farmland.