vulture

American  

[vuhl-cher] / ˈvʌl tʃər /

noun

vultures plural

1. any of several large, primarily carrion-eating Old World birds of prey of the family Accipitridae, often having a naked head and less powerful feet than those of the related hawks and eagles.

2. any of several superficially similar New World birds of the family Cathartidae, as the turkey vulture.

3. a person or thing that preys, especially greedily or unscrupulously.

   That vulture would sell out his best friend.

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vulture British  

/ ˈvʌltʃə /

noun

1. any of various very large diurnal birds of prey of the genera Neophron, Gyps, Gypaetus, etc, of Africa, Asia, and warm parts of Europe, typically having broad wings and soaring flight and feeding on carrion: family Accipitridae (hawks) See also griffon 1 lammergeier

2. any similar bird of the family Cathartidae of North, Central, and South America See also condor turkey buzzard

3. a person or thing that preys greedily and ruthlessly on others, esp the helpless

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• vulture-like
  adjective
• vulturelike
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• vultures
  plural

Etymology

Origin of vulture

1325–75; Middle English < Latin vultur

Compare meaning

How does vulture compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:

• condor vs. vulture
• vulture vs. turkey vulture

Explanation

A vulture is a type of bird — with a bald head and neck — that feeds on dead animals. One of the most fearsome birds is the vulture: this bird of prey feeds on almost nothing but dead flesh. Unlike other animals that hunt, vultures go after animals that were killed by other animals or died naturally. Vultures are scavengers looking for corpses. And because of their morbid tastes, vultures are often associated with horror movies and scenes of carnage.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

vulture vultures

In a 2024 exposé on Bowlero’s rise, Amos Barshad introduced a now-familiar category of villain — the private-equity vulture — as more than the average mercenary buying up distressed properties and selling off their parts.

From Salon ● Jul. 3, 2026

My wildlife checklist grew: red kites, black-winged kites, common buzzards, golden eagles, Spanish imperial eagles, a goshawk, three types of owl, two kinds of vulture.

From The Wall Street Journal ● May 30, 2026

The new structure at Hertfordshire Zoo, in Broxbourne, means the public can see an endangered Egyptian vulture, named Ramasees, for the very first time at the attraction.

From BBC ● May 8, 2026

Critics tend to debate whether she is a vulture or just losing her grasp on reality, but there’s no question she’s hit on a successful formula.

From Slate ● Feb. 27, 2026

High overhead, aflame in the early-morning sunshine, a vulture quietly circled.

From "The Milagro Beanfield War" by John Nichols

And so people associated with Turning Point USA and the Daily Wire continue to decry Owens and other prominent conspiracy-theory content creators as vultures.

From Slate ● Jul. 21, 2026

He and his team are already preparing breeding programmes for the critically endangered African white-backed vultures and endangered African grey crowned cranes.

From BBC ● Jul. 19, 2026

African white-backed vultures are among the species Kynren is hoping to help...

From BBC ● Jul. 19, 2026

She said she hadn’t contacted authorities, but the vultures have been a nuisance, thudding on her roof, bouncing on her children’s trampoline and popping their toy balls.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 16, 2026

I looked around, half expecting to see vultures perched on the lampposts.

From "City of the Plague God" by Sarwat Chadda