buzzard
1 Americannoun
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any of several broad-winged, soaring hawks of the genus Buteo and allied genera, especially B. buteo, of Europe.
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any of several New World vultures of the family Cathartidae, especially the turkey vulture.
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Slang. a contemptible or cantankerous person (often preceded byold ).
That old buzzard has lived in the same shack for twenty years.
adjective
noun
noun
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any diurnal bird of prey of the genus Buteo , typically having broad wings and tail and a soaring flight: family Accipitridae (hawks, etc) Compare honey buzzard turkey buzzard
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a mean or cantankerous person
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Etymology
Origin of buzzard1
1250–1300; Middle English busard < Old French, variant of buisard, equivalent to buis ( on ) buzzard (< Latin būteōn-, stem of būteō kind of hawk) + -ard -ard
Origin of buzzard2
Explanation
A buzzard is a large, vulture-like bird. Buzzards are scavengers, feeding almost entirely on dead animals. In North America, buzzard is the common name for a turkey vulture. Buzzards coast through the air on wide wings, patrolling the ground below them for food using their keen sense of smell, seeking out the scent of decaying flesh. In Europe, a buzzard is an entirely different type of bird, one that's known as a hawk in the U.S. The word buzzard stems from the Old French buisart, "inferior hawk."
Vocabulary lists containing buzzard
The Sound and the Fury
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Slam!
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This Promise of Change
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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.
Ami Clarke, 28, from Leighton Buzzard, Bedfordshire, started experiencing endometriosis symptoms aged 13 but was not diagnosed until a decade later.
From BBC • Mar. 2, 2026
Investigators said Buzzard was “uncooperative” throughout the investigation and declined to provide a verifiable explanation for her daughter’s whereabouts when deputies first contacted her in October.
From Los Angeles Times • Dec. 26, 2025
DNA testing later confirmed a familial match between Buzzard and the remains found in Utah.
From Los Angeles Times • Dec. 26, 2025
In August, Buzzard enrolled Melodee in an independent study program at the Lompoc Unified School District.
From Los Angeles Times • Dec. 23, 2025
Instead, me and Jay stood next to Mama and my uncle, Doc Buzzard, in that graveyard, listening to the pastor say lots of good things about Gran.
From "Root Magic" by Eden Royce
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.
