night owl

American  

[nahyt oul] / ˈnaɪt ˌaʊl /

noun

Informal.

night owls plural

1. a person who often stays up late at night; nighthawk.

---

night owl British  

noun

1. informal a person who is or prefers to be up and about late at night

---

night owl Idioms  

1. A person who habitually stays up late and is active at night, as in You can call her after midnight, for she's a night owl. This colloquial term, originally used in the late 1500s for an owl that is active at night, was transferred to nocturnal human beings in the mid-1800s.

---

Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• night owls
  plural

Etymology

Origin of night owl

First recorded in 1585–95

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

night owl

Whether you're an early riser or a night owl will dictate what appeals more to you.

From BBC ● Jun. 13, 2026

When I was a night owl with young children, I couldn’t get any downtime until after the children went to bed.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 25, 2026

I’m a night owl, so on a Sunday especially, I’m going to let myself sleep in.

From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 6, 2026

Early riser or night owl, everyone appreciates a good night's sleep.

From Science Daily ● Mar. 1, 2024

As she went deeper into the trees, she heard the call of a night owl, and an animal bounded through the undergrowth — a rabbit?

From "Ash" by Malinda Lo