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.
(in Anglo-Saxon England) a governor of one of the great divisions of England, including East Anglia, Mercia, Northumbria, and Wessex.
Female equivalent: countess. (in the British Isles) a nobleman ranking below a marquess and above a viscount
(in Anglo-Saxon England) a royal governor of any of the large divisions of the kingdom, such as Wessex
before 900; Middle English erl, Old English eorl; cognate with Old Saxon erl man, Old Norse jarl chieftain
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."
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
To find the city as spellbound by its basketball team, you have to go back to the 1970 and 1973 champions, with the likes of Walt Frazier, Willis Reed and smooth Earl “The Pearl” Monroe.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 7, 2026
I follow Melissa Clark’s chocolate olive oil cake recipe, which has always produced a moist cake that’s slightly floral in flavor, courtesy of warm Earl Grey tea that’s whisked into the batter.
From Salon • May 10, 2026
Supreme Court, under Chief Justice Earl Warren, began insisting on the enforcement of the desegregation mandate of Brown v.
From Slate • May 7, 2026
A handful of companies which were granted licenses in 2021 pay a fee to the owner of the lough bed, the Earl of Shaftesbury, for every tonne they extract.
From BBC • Apr. 15, 2026
It has never been determined whether his assassin, a white petty criminal named James Earl Ray, acted alone, as he claimed, or as part of a conspiracy.
From "Because They Marched" by Russell Freedman
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.
