barn owl

noun

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

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Origin of barn owl

First recorded in 1665–75

Words nearby barn owl

Barnett, Barneveldt, barney, barnlot, bar none, barn owl, barn raising, Barnsley, Barnstable, Barnstaple, barnstorm
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020

Example sentences from the Web for barn owl

  • Of this the barn-owl is perfectly aware, and at evening he may be seen sweeping low over the meadows seeking whom he may devour.

    Poachers and Poaching|John Watson

  • He had heard the boy give it, and now he cautiously repeated, three times, the softly quavering call of the barn-owl.

    When 'Bear Cat' Went Dry|Charles Neville Buck

  • Like the species last described—the Barn-Owl—it has an exceedingly wide range.

    Argentine Ornithology, Volume II (of 2)|P. L. Sclater

  • The barn-owl is the "screech" owl of bird literature; the brown owl the true hooting owl.

    Poachers and Poaching|John Watson

British Dictionary definitions for barn owl

barn owl

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