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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

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

Juliet, a barn owl, lands on the arm of the best man at a wedding in England this spring.

From New York Times ● Jun. 5, 2024

George carried the barn owl over to the window and it took off.

From "Harry Potter And The Goblet Of Fire" by J. K. Rowling

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