owl
Americannoun
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owls
plural
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any of numerous, chiefly nocturnal birds of prey, of the order Strigiformes, having a broad head with large, forward-directed eyes that are usually surrounded by disks of modified feathers: many populations are diminishing owing to loss of habitat.
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one of a breed of domestic pigeons having an owllike appearance.
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a person of owllike solemnity or appearance.
adjective
noun
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any nocturnal bird of prey of the order Strigiformes, having large front-facing eyes, a small hooked bill, soft feathers, and a short neck
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any of various breeds of owl-like fancy domestic pigeon (esp the African owl, Chinese owl, and English owl )
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a person who looks or behaves like an owl, esp in having a solemn manner
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of owl
before 900; Middle English oule, Old English ūle; cognate with Low German ūle, Dutch uil; akin to German Eule, Old Norse ugla
Explanation
While most birds are known for their tweeting, owls are known for their hooting. If you hear a "hoot" in the woods, look for an owl (But bring your flashlight; owls are nocturnal.). Owls share some similarities with hawks — both birds are predators, with very strong beaks and claws meant for grabbing mice, insects, rabbits, and even fish. One notable difference is that an owl has eyes on the front of its face, while most hawks have eyes on the sides of their heads. To compensate, owls can turn their heads as much as 270 degrees, to see what's behind them. Owl comes from an imitative root — a word that sounds like an owl's hoot.
Vocabulary lists containing owl
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:
He wasn’t the first to encounter them—the Yosemite Native tribes called the trees “wawona,” like the sound made by the northern spotted owl.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 30, 2026
"My ambition is to be this owl that's often associated with a little bit of wisdom," she said in 2019.
From Barron's ● Oct. 29, 2026
Meanwhile, variants associated with openness to experience and extraversion were connected with a greater tendency to be a night owl.
From Science Daily ● Sep. 8, 2026
Three years ago, an Arctic owl captivated residents in Cypress after arriving around the Christmas holiday in 2022 before it left the next month.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 27, 2026
Tansy opened the Webster in front of Little Britches, who gazed down at it like a small owl.
From "The Teacher’s Funeral" by Richard Peck
People are being encouraged to report any sightings of barn owls across Northern Ireland, particularly in the west, to help fill in gaps in the records and even help protect important breeding areas.
From BBC ● Aug. 26, 2026
Bell has been closely involved in the project to support barn owls.
From BBC ● Aug. 26, 2026
Wildlife officials had found that many of these poisons worked their way through the food chain, sickening and killing owls, raptors, coyotes and mountain lions.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 16, 2026
That definition stood for decades, notably surviving a 1995 Supreme Court case focused on the protection of old-growth forests for spotted owls.
From Barron's ● Jul. 14, 2026
“Don’t count your owls before they are delivered,” said Dumbledore gravely.
From "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince" by J.K. Rowling
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