definitions

barn owl

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noun

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

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Nearby words

barmen, barmy, barn, barn dance, barn door, barn owl, barn raising, barn swallow, barn-door skate, barnabas, barnaby

Origin of barn owl

First recorded in 1665–75
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples 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