barn owl

American

noun

a yellowish-brown and white owl, Tyto alba, often inhabiting barns and other buildings.

barn owl British

noun

any owl of the genus Tyto , esp T. alba , having a pale brown and white plumage, long slender legs, and a heart-shaped face: family Tytonidae

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of barn owl

First recorded in 1665–75

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:

barn owl

Most of Ulster Wildlife's barn owl records come from the east of Northern Ireland.

From BBC ● Aug. 26, 2026

A giant barn owl, a type of rodent called a hutia, and a burrowing bee entered a cave.

From Science Daily ● Apr. 3, 2026

From an otter, which the beaver pair seem to tolerate, to a hunting barn owl on the water's edge.

From BBC ● Mar. 27, 2026

For those who struggle to tell a bushtit from a barn owl, the team has assembled resources to help distinguish between common local species and can answer individual questions via email.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 1, 2025

A barn owl is perched on top of it, mean-mugging guests as they pass.

From "Kwame Crashes the Underworld" by Craig Kofi Farmer

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023