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
-
earls
plural
-
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.
Earl
2
American
[url]
/ ɜrl /
Or
Earle
noun
earl
British
/ ɜːl /
noun
-
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
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:
The four generations of the Wallop family include a British earl and 18-year U.S.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 15, 2026
Spencer—an earl, historian and former NBC journalist—in his book “Swan Song: Diana, My Sister” has again swung the spotlight back to that difficult time.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 24, 2026
It had become about whether the earl, or the King himself, was telling the truth.
From BBC ● Sep. 20, 2026
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
Unlike them, I was not the daughter of an earl or a duke or the cousin of a European prince.
From "Ophelia" by Lisa Klein
John Nichols, a former accountant, and his son Larry, a former law clerk to Supreme Court Chief Justice Earl Warren, founded Devon in 1971.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 5, 2026
In his memoir, Earl Spencer said Morgan was editor of the Daily Mirror when the Mirror Group published "highly intrusive photographs of Princess Diana at the gym".
From BBC ● Sep. 22, 2026
Earl Spencer has apologised to Piers Morgan over a factual error in his new book about Diana, Princess of Wales.
From BBC ● Sep. 22, 2026
Earl Spencer's book about his sister, Diana, has had six days of public accusations and counter-claims, with extensive news coverage.
From BBC ● Sep. 21, 2026
But Baroness Hoover and the Earl of Maytag voted firmly in favor of changing the name to the School for Miserable Girls.
From "The Interrupted Tale" by Maryrose Wood
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
The Declaration was written in Latin and was sealed by eight earls and about 40 barons.
From BBC ● Jun. 2, 2023
“The United States Constitution's ban on inherited titles met with unanimous approval because of the perceived threat posed by lords and earls to a democratic republic.”
From Salon ● Oct. 7, 2018
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
Impressed by what they saw, the earls introduced cannons to the English army, which adopted them enthusiastically and already used them against French soldiers at the battle of Crecy six years later.
From "Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies" by Jared M. Diamond
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