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Synonyms

owl

American  
[oul] / aʊl /

noun

  1. any of numerous, chiefly nocturnal birds of prey, of the order Strigiformes, having a broad head with large, forward-directed eyes that are usually surrounded by disks of modified feathers: many populations are diminishing owing to loss of habitat.

  2. one of a breed of domestic pigeons having an owllike appearance.

  3. night owl.

  4. a person of owllike solemnity or appearance.

adjective

  1. operating late at night or all night.

    an owl train.
owl British  
/ aʊl /

noun

  1. any nocturnal bird of prey of the order Strigiformes, having large front-facing eyes, a small hooked bill, soft feathers, and a short neck

  2. any of various breeds of owl-like fancy domestic pigeon (esp the African owl, Chinese owl, and English owl )

  3. a person who looks or behaves like an owl, esp in having a solemn manner

"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
owl Idioms  

  1. see night owl.

Other Word Forms

Etymology

Origin of owl

before 900; Middle English oule, Old English ūle; cognate with Low German ūle, Dutch uil; akin to German Eule, Old Norse ugla

Explanation

While most birds are known for their tweeting, owls are known for their hooting. If you hear a "hoot" in the woods, look for an owl (But bring your flashlight; owls are nocturnal.). Owls share some similarities with hawks — both birds are predators, with very strong beaks and claws meant for grabbing mice, insects, rabbits, and even fish. One notable difference is that an owl has eyes on the front of its face, while most hawks have eyes on the sides of their heads. To compensate, owls can turn their heads as much as 270 degrees, to see what's behind them. Owl comes from an imitative root — a word that sounds like an owl's hoot.

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Vocabulary lists containing owl

Birds, Birds, Birds, List 2

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Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Earlier, Blackstone BX 1.18%increase; green up pointing triangle and Blue Owl OWL 2.03%increase; green up pointing triangle also reported lower returns for the period from a year ago.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 11, 2026

Firms like Apollo, Blackstone and Blue Owl began selling private variants of the funds in recent years, in part to avoid the sharp stock moves.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 11, 2026

Publicly traded private credit funds showed mixed results; Blue Owl cut its dividend, and Blackstone’s net asset value was trimmed.

From Barron's • May 7, 2026

In the first quarter, Blue Owl bought back stock in both funds, acquiring $30 million of Blue Owl Capital Corp. and $50 million worth of Blue Owl Technology Finance Corp.

From MarketWatch • May 7, 2026

That was what such creatures of the night as Owl and Bat and Bear wanted.

From "Code Talker: A Novel About the Navajo Marines of World War Two" by Joseph Bruchac

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.