fowl

American  

[foul] / faʊl /

noun

plural

fowls,

plural

fowl

1. the domestic or barnyard hen or rooster; chicken.

2. any of several other, usually gallinaceous, birds that are barnyard, domesticated, or wild, as the duck, turkey, or pheasant.

3. (in market and household use) a full-grown domestic fowl for food purposes, as distinguished from a chicken or young fowl.

4. the flesh or meat of a domestic fowl.

5. any bird (used chiefly in combination).

   waterfowl; wildfowl.

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verb (used without object)

1. to hunt or take wildfowl.

fowl British  

/ faʊl /

noun

1. See domestic fowl

2. any other bird, esp any gallinaceous bird, that is used as food or hunted as game See also waterfowl wildfowl

3. the flesh or meat of fowl, esp of chicken

4. an archaic word for any bird

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verb

1. (intr) to hunt or snare wildfowl

fowl Idioms  

1. see neither fish nor fowl.

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Etymology

Origin of fowl

First recorded before 900; Middle English foul, fuhel, Old English fugol, fugel; cognate with Old Saxon fugal, Gothic fugls, Old High German fogal ( German Vogel ), from Germanic fuglaz, a possible dissimilation of unattested fluglaz, from the same root as fly ² ( def. )

Explanation

The noun fowl usually means domesticated birds kept for eating or producing eggs. If your friend brings you eggs from the chickens she keeps in her back yard, you can say that she has pet fowl. Fowl comes from the Old English fugel, "bird," meant simply that — "bird." Today, fowl usually refers specifically to chickens or other kinds of domesticated birds that lay eggs or are raised to be eaten. Occasionally, fowl is used interchangeably with poultry, to mean the flesh of that same kind of bird when it's eaten; you could describe your family as being fond of pork, beef, and fowl.

Example Sentences

Lynne, who was watching Manchester City take on Brentford with her friend Ian Bullock, said she initially thought it was human vandals behind the bang and did not expect fowl play.

From BBC • Dec. 19, 2025

Either way, consumer advocates and other experts note that many retailers will run promotions on the fowl favorite when the holiday approaches as a way to get shoppers in the door.

From MarketWatch • Nov. 14, 2025

The disease was first identified in Italy in the late 19th century and was initially referred to as “fowl plague,” as it was confused with a form of fowl cholera.

From Salon • Apr. 27, 2024

They raised free-range pigeons and never served fowl as food.

From New York Times • Apr. 2, 2024

There, hiding in the shade, was a guinea fowl.

From "The Girl Who Married a Lion: and Other Tales from Africa" by Alexander Mccall Smith

Related Words

• chicken
• goose
• hen
• pheasant