poultry
Americannoun
noun
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Etymology
Origin of poultry
1350–1400; Middle English pulletrie < Middle French pouleterie. See pullet, -ery
Explanation
Domesticated birds raised for meat or eggs are poultry. If you're going to keep poultry in your back yard, you'll need to build a chicken coop. When you talk about eating chicken or turkey, you can refer to that type of meat as poultry: "I don't eat red meat — just a little fish and poultry." Other birds that fall into the category of poultry are domesticated guinea hens, ducks, and geese. If they're wild, on the other hand, they're called game. Before poultry came to mean "domestic fowl" in the 14th century, it meant "place where fowl is sold."
Vocabulary lists containing poultry
This Week in Words: Current Events Vocabulary for October 7–October 13, 2023
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This Week in Words: Current Events Vocab for February 2–February 8, 2025
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"The Ugly Duckling" by Hans Christian Andersen
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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.
Meat prices were almost unchanged, rising by 0.1% from April as higher bovine, ovine, and poultry meat prices were largely offset by lower pig meat prices.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 5, 2026
Even so, Arrington said using organic poultry litter has put him in a better position to deal with the rise in prices for synthetic fertilizers.
From MarketWatch • Jun. 2, 2026
“So you have this virus circulating in livestock, poultry and whales around the United States, and the central hub for that information is directed to no longer share it with the rest of the world.”
From Salon • May 30, 2026
The agreement will lower tariffs on more products, and give duty-free access to pasta, chocolate, potatoes, canned peaches, eggs and certain poultry products.
From Barron's • May 22, 2026
Margaret had a heavy hand with the salt, although her meat and poultry were always exquisitely tender.
From "The Underground Railroad: A Novel" by Colson Whitehead
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.
