sire

1 of 2

noun

ˈsī(-ə)r 

1

a

: father

b

archaic : male ancestor : forefather

c

: author, originator

2

a

archaic : a man of rank or authority

especially : lord

—used formerly as a form of address and as a title

b

obsolete : an elderly man : senior

3

: the male parent of an animal and especially of a domestic animal

sire

2 of 2

verb

sired; siring

transitive verb

1

: beget

—used especially of male domestic animals

2

: to bring into being : originate

Synonyms

Noun

• dad
• daddy
• father
• old man
• pa
• papa
• poppa
• pater [chiefly British]
• pop

Verb

• beget
• father
• get

Examples of sire in a Sentence

Noun

his sire had been a renowned Wall Street lawyer

the revered sire of the impressionist movement in art

Verb

The horse sired several champion racers.

the champion racehorse went on to sire a long line of winners

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

Its legendary decades-long preeminence came to an abrupt end in 1990, when Alydar, racing’s most illustrious sire of champions at the time who was worth $45 million, died under inexplicable circumstances. —Grrlscientist, Forbes, 11 Dec. 2024

Sierra Leone Wins $7 million BC Classic Sierra Leone won the $7 million Breeders’ Cup Classic Saturday, just as his sire did at Del Mar in 2017. —Jay Ginsbach, Forbes, 3 Nov. 2024

Verb

Both evolve over time, allowing an ancestral tongue like Latin to sire diverse descendants — Spanish, French, Romanian — that are more closely related to each other than to, say, Korean. —Cody Cottier, Discover Magazine, 21 Oct. 2024

And Otis may have sired many bears at the Brooks River, Bruce says, although scientists can’t say that for sure. —Erin Donaghue, Smithsonian Magazine, 3 Oct. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Noun

Middle English, from Anglo-French, lord, feudal superior, from Vulgar Latin *seior, alteration of Latin senior older — more at senior

First Known Use

Noun

13th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Verb

1611, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Kids Definition

sire

1 of 2 noun

ˈsī(ə)r 

1

: father entry 1 sense 1a

2

archaic : a male ancestor : forefather

3

: the male parent of an animal and especially of a domestic animal

sire

2 of 2 verb

sired; siring

: beget sense 1

—used especially of domestic animals

Medical Definition

sire

1 of 2 noun

ˈsī(ə)r 

: the male parent of an animal and especially of a domestic animal

sire

2 of 2 transitive verb

sired; siring

: to procreate as the male parent of