earl
noun
a British nobleman of a rank below that of marquis and above that of viscount: called count for a time after the Norman conquest. The wife of an earl is a countess.
earl
1 American
[url]
/ ɜrl /
noun
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earls
plural
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a British nobleman of a rank below that of marquis and above that of viscount: called count for a time after the Norman conquest. The wife of an earl is a countess.
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(in Anglo-Saxon England) a governor of one of the great divisions of England, including East Anglia, Mercia, Northumbria, and Wessex.
Earl
2
American
[url]
/ ɜrl /
Or
Earle
noun
earl
British
/ ɜːl /
noun
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Female equivalent: countess. (in the British Isles) a nobleman ranking below a marquess and above a viscount
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(in Anglo-Saxon England) a royal governor of any of the large divisions of the kingdom, such as Wessex
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of earl
before 900; Middle English erl, Old English eorl; cognate with Old Saxon erl man, Old Norse jarl chieftain
Explanation
An earl is a member of the British nobility. An earl is ranked above a viscount or a baron, in case you know those titles. Earl certainly carries more clout than "Mister"! One of the ceremonial titles given to noblemen in the United Kingdom is earl. Being an earl used to come with a great deal of power and control over a certain region, including the authority to pass judgment in courts of law. While it's still prestigious to be an earl, there's less actual power involved in the position. The word itself comes from the Old English word eorl, "brave man, warrior, leader, or chief."
Vocabulary lists containing earl
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:
Similarly, the earl of Peterborough's son refused both to remove his hat and to enter a plea when tried for treason in 1658.
From Science Daily ● May 7, 2026
They include the alabaster monument to John, seventh earl of Arundel, a high-profile casualty of the Hundred Years’ War with France.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 11, 2026
Viewers eventually learn Sophie’s servitude is forced after her parentage is revealed — she’s the illegitimate daughter of an earl.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 29, 2026
The tomb became an enclosed vault after an 18th Century earl raised the roof.
From BBC ● Aug. 17, 2024
“You could not hold such a position as I heard you express yesterday, my friend,” the earl said.
From "Ella Enchanted" by Gail Carson Levine
Earl Warren, to start, was governor of California, and that kind of political experience wasn’t uncommon.
From Slate ● Aug. 10, 2026
Earl Kurz and his wife have lived in Peachland, a town overlooking Okanagan Lake in Canada's British Columbia, for 30 years.
From BBC ● Aug. 10, 2026
Kennedy’s father was a friend of Gov. Earl Warren, and young Tony played with Warren’s children.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 26, 2026
Disraeli became their leader and would twice be named prime minister before Queen Victoria elevated him to the peerage as Earl of Beaconsfield in 1876.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 12, 2026
Earl stares for a moment and then drops his gaze to the ground.
From "Water for Elephants" by Sara Gruen
English earls were replaced with Normans, as were senior members of the Church.
From BBC ● Jul. 10, 2026
Its inhabitants are those of “there will always be an England” England: stern vicars, timid curates, lords and earls, penniless titled wastrels living on allowances from their uncles, imperious aunts, upper-crust twits.
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 18, 2025
Prince William, the heir to the throne, will be there along with his wife, Catherine, Princess of Wales, and their children, as well as marquesses, dukes, baronesses, lords and earls.
From New York Times ● May 5, 2023
The tradition caught on and English colleges became diploma mills for earls and barons who never cracked a book or scribbled on parchment in their storied halls.
From Washington Times ● May 9, 2018
I twined arms with a succession of momentary partners—dukes, earls, knights, squires—and back to Char.
From "Ella Enchanted" by Gail Carson Levine
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.
