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• raven
  raven

  noun

  any of several large, corvine birds having lustrous, black plumage and a loud, harsh call, especially the common raven, Corvus corax, of both the New World and the Old World.
• Raven
  Raven

  noun

  a traditional trickster hero among the native peoples of the Canadian Pacific Northwest

raven

¹ American  

[rey-vuhn] / ˈreɪ vən /

noun

1. any of several large, corvine birds having lustrous, black plumage and a loud, harsh call, especially the common raven, Corvus corax, of both the New World and the Old World.

2. Raven, the divine culture hero and trickster of the North Pacific Coast Indians.

3. Astronomy. Raven, the constellation Corvus.

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adjective

1. lustrous black.

   raven locks of hair.

raven ² American  

[rav-uhn] / ˈræv ən /

Also ravin

verb (used without object)

1. to seek plunder or prey.

2. to eat or feed voraciously or greedily.

   to raven like an animal.

3. to have a ravenous appetite.

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verb (used with object)

1. to seize as spoil or prey.

2. to devour voraciously.

noun

1. rapine; robbery.

2. plunder or prey.

raven ¹ British  

/ ˈreɪvən /

noun

1. a large passerine bird, Corvus corax , having a large straight bill, long wedge-shaped tail, and black plumage: family Corvidae (crows). It has a hoarse croaking cry

2. 1. a shiny black colour

   2. ( as adjective )

      raven hair

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raven ² British  

/ ˈrævən /

verb

1. to seize or seek (plunder, prey, etc)

2. to eat (something) voraciously or greedily; be ravenous in eating

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Raven ³ British  

/ ˈreɪvən /

noun

1. a traditional trickster hero among the native peoples of the Canadian Pacific Northwest

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Other Word Forms

• ravener
  noun
• ravenlike
  adjective

Etymology

Origin of raven¹

First recorded before 900; Middle English; Old English hrǣfn, hrefn; cognate with German Rabe, Old Norse hrafn

Origin of raven²

First recorded in 1485–95; earlier ravine, from Middle French raviner, ultimately from Latin rapīna “plunder, rapine”; see rapine

Explanation

A raven is a large, black bird that's a scavenger — meaning that it likes to feed on dead animals. If someone tells you that you have "raven tresses," they are commenting on your hair color, not your eating habits. If you see a large group of ravens, you can call them an unkindness of ravens, or a conspiracy of ravens. Raven is also an adjective for anything that's the glossy black color of a raven's feathers: "His raven hair was held out of his eyes with a sweatband." Probably the most famous literary raven is the one in Edgar Allen Poe's spooky poem "The Raven," especially in the repeated line, "Quoth the Raven, 'Nevermore!'"

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

raven Raven

A raven in Colorado once lured two curious biologists deep into the woods with squawking alarm calls.

From The Wall Street Journal ● May 22, 2026

To better understand raven behavior, researchers fitted 69 birds with small GPS trackers, an unusually large number for this type of study.

From Science Daily ● Mar. 19, 2026

A dead raven floated on the water’s surface.

From Salon ● Dec. 4, 2025

"When we asked the charter flight company what happened, they said it was eaten by a raven," he said laughing.

From BBC ● Apr. 27, 2025

The raven cocks its head at him as he leaves.

From "The Night Circus" by Erin Morgenstern

Raven offers a few hypothetical examples—“Should I stay married? Buy a brownstone? Have a kid?”—that are uncomfortably close to the questions Nick’s friends are at the moment asking themselves.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 4, 2026

Pedestrian Raven Adams, 24, from County Tipperary, was hit by a vehicle in York Street in the early hours of 16 July.

From BBC ● Jul. 17, 2026

White then subs Clark out for Raven Johnson, having her take Clark’s seat, as they presumably continue to discuss their next play.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 2, 2026

The Bruins held Latson to four points and Raven Johnson to three on one-for-seven shooting.

From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 5, 2026

You have also located my game assistant, Raven.

From "Book Scavenger" by Jennifer Chambliss Bertman

Related Words

• bully
• devour
• exploit
• feed on
• fleece
• haunt
• intimidate
• oppress
• plunder
• take advantage of
• victimize