night owl

American  

[nahyt oul] / ˈnaɪt ˌaʊl /

noun

Informal.

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

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night owl British  

noun

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

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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.

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Etymology

Origin of night owl

First recorded in 1585–95

Example Sentences

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

Mom was the consummate night owl, accomplishing her best work well after midnight.

From Salon • Dec. 19, 2024

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

From Science Daily • Mar. 1, 2024

I’m a bit of a night owl, and I thought, “I’m just going to sleep in tomorrow. Someone will tell me what happened. I just don’t even want to look.”

From New York Times • Jan. 23, 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