eagle
Americannoun
-
eagles
plural
-
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.
-
a figure or representation of an eagle, much used as an emblem.
the Roman eagle.
-
a standard, seal, or the like bearing such a figure.
-
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.
-
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.
-
a former gold coin of the United States, issued until 1933, equal to 10 dollars, showing an eagle on its reverse.
-
Golf. a score of two below par for any single hole.
-
Astronomy. Eagle, the constellation Aquila.
-
Cards.
-
a representation in green of an eagle, used on playing cards to designate a suit in the pack additional to the four standard suits.
-
a card of a suit so designated.
-
eagles, the suit itself.
-
verb (used with object)
noun
-
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
-
a representation of an eagle used as an emblem, etc, esp representing power
the Roman eagle
-
a standard, seal, etc, bearing the figure of an eagle
-
golf a score of two strokes under par for a hole
-
a former US gold coin worth ten dollars: withdrawn from circulation in 1934
-
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:
Rory McIlroy finished with a superb eagle to move two shots off the lead heading into the final day of the BMW PGA Championship at Wentworth.
From BBC ● Sep. 19, 2026
Steve Egerton-Read, white-tailed eagle project officer for Forestry England, said: "We are delighted that these three chicks made it through and will be closely watching their progress as they begin to explore the landscape."
From BBC ● Sep. 16, 2026
A game called "Flappy Bill" features a bald eagle carrying a document in its claws that tries to avoid smashing into columns of various heights, against a background that resembles Washington DC.
From Barron's ● Sep. 4, 2026
And the double-headed eagle of the Habsburg Empire sits atop a 19th-century silver and glass pin from Peru.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 4, 2026
It was easy to forget about the weather in the shadows of the forest, in the presence of the eagle, but now Axel gathers clues.
From "A Bird Will Soar" by Alison Green Myers
Plans for the arch from earlier this year feature a golden, winged Lady Liberty on the top, flanked by two gold eagles.
From BBC ● Sep. 20, 2026
Two out of five pairs of eagles released by a reintroduction project successfully bred and raised young with one chick fledging from a nest in Dorset and two more in Sussex.
From BBC ● Sep. 16, 2026
As well as rollercoasters, it is home to the largest sanctuary for non-releasable bald eagles in the world.
From BBC ● Aug. 25, 2026
A good territory allows a couple to raise a family so it makes more sense for an eagle in possession of one to stay put and wait for other eagles to come knocking, he said.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 21, 2026
So here the prince came, like the eagles in The Hobbit, swooping in at the darkest hour to save us.
From "Everything Sad Is Untrue" by Daniel Nayeri
He birdied the 11th and eagled the 17th to finish at two under.
From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 19, 2026
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 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
Arnaus played at Carnoustie, where he birdied five straight holes from No. 17 after starting at the 10th, and also eagled the par-5 14th hole.
From Washington Times ● Oct. 5, 2023
It lay there, spread eagled in eight directions, on the salt.
From Do Unto Others by Mark Clifton
Beckman birdied the 18th for a 71 a day after eagling the hole for a 64.
From Seattle Times ● Mar. 5, 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 Edward Doyle
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.
