eagle
Americannoun
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eagles
plural
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any of several large, soaring birds of prey belonging to the hawk family Accipitridae, noted for their size, strength, and powers of flight and vision: formerly widespread in North America, eagles are mostly confined to Alaska and a few isolated populations.
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a figure or representation of an eagle, much used as an emblem.
the Roman eagle.
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a standard, seal, or the like bearing such a figure.
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one of a pair of silver insignia in the shape of eagles with outstretched wings worn by a colonel in the U.S. Army, Air Force, and Marine Corps and by a captain in the U.S. Navy.
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Eagle, a gold coin of the United States, traded for investment, available in denominations of 5, 10, 25, and 50 dollars containing 1/10 to 1 troy ounce of gold, having on its reverse a picture of an eagle: first issued in 1986.
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a former gold coin of the United States, issued until 1933, equal to 10 dollars, showing an eagle on its reverse.
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Golf. a score of two below par for any single hole.
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Astronomy. Eagle, the constellation Aquila.
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Cards.
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a representation in green of an eagle, used on playing cards to designate a suit in the pack additional to the four standard suits.
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a card of a suit so designated.
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eagles, the suit itself.
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verb (used with object)
noun
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any of various birds of prey of the genera Aquila, Harpia, etc, having large broad wings and strong soaring flight: family Accipitridae (hawks, etc) See also golden eagle harpy eagle sea eagle
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a representation of an eagle used as an emblem, etc, esp representing power
the Roman eagle
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a standard, seal, etc, bearing the figure of an eagle
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golf a score of two strokes under par for a hole
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a former US gold coin worth ten dollars: withdrawn from circulation in 1934
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the shoulder insignia worn by a US full colonel or equivalent rank
verb
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of eagle
First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English egle, from Anglo-French, Old French egle, aigle, from Latin aquila, noun use of feminine of aquilus “dark-colored”
Explanation
An eagle is a large bird that preys on smaller animals. Eagles, like hawks, are birds of prey, or raptors. Eagles are big, grand birds with powerful bodies and broad wings. Their impressive stature is reflected in the fact that they have often stood for power on the coats of arms, seals, and other emblems of various countries, including the United States, which names the bald eagle as its national bird. The Latin root of the word eagle is aquila, "black eagle" or "dark bird."
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
The Ojai Raptor Center reported a dip in Big Bear bald eagle Jackie’s blood values, leaving the livestream star in intensive care as experts work to find a cause.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 8, 2026
Fans of celebrity bald eagle Jackie are again grappling with troubling news about her health, the latest downturn in an uneven recovery since her rescue near Big Bear Lake last month.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 8, 2026
After opening with a 74, the 30-year-old Hull made an eagle at the first hole on the second day and added nine birdies to climb up the leaderboard and finish with a 10-under total.
From BBC ● Aug. 7, 2026
The eagle is under veterinary care at the Ojai Raptor Center, and despite showing signs of improvement in her anemia last week, her packed cell volume has dropped to 13%, down from 17%.
From BBC ● Aug. 6, 2026
And if he’s conserved his energy, like that eagle might conserve for a hunt, this is the time to let it fly.
From "A Bird Will Soar" by Alison Green Myers
It is expected that the young eagles will travel widely across the UK and potentially into Europe before returning to the area to breed when they are four or five years old.
From BBC ● Aug. 4, 2026
Exmoor was chosen after tracking data from released eagles showed the area had often been visited by several of the birds.
From BBC ● Aug. 4, 2026
If the two eagles go separate ways, it would be the end of an era for the couple that formed in 2018 when Shadow pushed out Jackie’s former mate.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 29, 2026
A video taken shortly before her rescue showed Jackie sparring with two younger eagles, as she flipped on her back to ward them off with her talons.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 24, 2026
Axel knows that eagles can travel great distances in a day.
From "A Bird Will Soar" by Alison Green Myers
Lee birdied seven of the first 15 holes and eagled the par-five 17th before a closing bogey at Tiburon Golf Club in Naples, Florida.
From Barron's ● Nov. 20, 2025
After bogeying the first hole, Phillips birdied the second, eagled the third and birdied the fourth to vault to the top of the leaderboard.
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 6, 2025
After bogeys on the 12th and 13th, Griffin eagled the 15th and birdied the 16th to move to within a stroke of Scheffler.
From BBC ● Jun. 1, 2025
After opening with consecutive 65s on Thursday and Friday in calm conditions, Kuchar eagled the par-5 first on Saturday and had six birdies and a bogey in a front-nine 29.
From Seattle Times ● Nov. 4, 2023
And so I have pondered This thing, and thought may be 'T were better that Baby The First had been eagled or condored.
From The Devil's Dictionary by Bierce, Ambrose
The former Alabama star played the back nine at La Quinta in 7-under 29, eagling the par-5 fifth and making five birdies.
From Seattle Times ● Jan. 20, 2022
In just his third start as a professional, Wolff—the phenom dubbed a "disruptor"—did just that, eagling the final hole of the inaugural 3M Open to best Bryson DeChambeau and Collin Morikawa by one.
From Golf Digest ● Jul. 7, 2019
He had a bogey-free round, opening with a birdie on the par-5 first, eagling the par-5 seventh and adding birdies on the par-4 ninth and 16th.
From Washington Times ● Nov. 12, 2017
Senior Open in commanding fashion on Friday, eagling the par-five 14th on the way to a record five-shot lead after the second round at Omaha Country Club in Omaha, Nebraska.
From Reuters ● Jul. 13, 2013
If not un-Englishing America in mind And heart forever, vain the shrieks Of Freedom, eagling back to dawn's first streaks.
From Freedom, Truth and Beauty by Doyle, Edward
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
