poultry
Americannoun
-
poultries
plural
noun
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of poultry
1350–1400; Middle English pulletrie < Middle French pouleterie. See pullet, -ery
Explanation
Domesticated birds raised for meat or eggs are poultry. If you're going to keep poultry in your back yard, you'll need to build a chicken coop. When you talk about eating chicken or turkey, you can refer to that type of meat as poultry: "I don't eat red meat — just a little fish and poultry." Other birds that fall into the category of poultry are domesticated guinea hens, ducks, and geese. If they're wild, on the other hand, they're called game. Before poultry came to mean "domestic fowl" in the 14th century, it meant "place where fowl is sold."
Vocabulary lists containing poultry
This Week in Words: Current Events Vocabulary for October 7–October 13, 2023
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This Week in Words: Current Events Vocab for February 2–February 8, 2025
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"The Ugly Duckling" by Hans Christian Andersen
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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.
Once, he enlisted his staff to test a claim in a dispute before him that poultry processing workers needed as much as 15 minutes to don and doff required clothing for their jobs.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 12, 2026
We also get creatine from food such as red meat, fish, seafood and poultry, among other sources.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 19, 2026
"Lead emissions have caused brain damage, especially in children, but also genetic problems in livestock and poultry," said Beqir Kila, a renowned environmental expert.
From Barron's ● Oct. 8, 2026
"MIND-recommended foods rich in antioxidants, such as berries, and high-quality protein sources like poultry may reduce oxidative stress and mitigate neuronal damage," suggest the researchers.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 1, 2026
My mother, who talks to herself when she peels the skin off poultry.
From "Krik? Krak!" by Edwidge Danticat
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Get a wordDefinitions 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.
