owl

American  

[oul] / aʊl /

noun

1. 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.

2. one of a breed of domestic pigeons having an owllike appearance.

3. night owl.

4. a person of owllike solemnity or appearance.

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adjective

1. operating late at night or all night.

   an owl train.

owl British  

/ aʊl /

noun

1. any nocturnal bird of prey of the order Strigiformes, having large front-facing eyes, a small hooked bill, soft feathers, and a short neck

2. any of various breeds of owl-like fancy domestic pigeon (esp the African owl, Chinese owl, and English owl )

3. a person who looks or behaves like an owl, esp in having a solemn manner

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owl Idioms  

1. see night owl.

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Other Word Forms

• owl-like adjective
• owllike adjective

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

Example Sentences

Also: “The rapper Eminem is terrified of owls,” and “if you put sheep in a maze, they mostly turn left.”

From The Wall Street Journal

"They say wildcats live on voles. Well, voles are feeding my barn owls so if you reduce the vole population you are having an effect on the barn owls," he explained.

From BBC

In 2023, eagle owls were responsible for killing half of the project's newly released red kite chicks.

From BBC

We began each session by dancing around a cardboard mushroom with a papier-mâché owl on top of it.

From The Wall Street Journal

Tawny owls, jays and even foxes have since been spotted among the monuments; many of these creatures are depicted in striking photographs taken by the author that pepper the text.

From The Wall Street Journal

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