vulture

[vuhl-cher]

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR vulture ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

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.

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

a person or thing that preys, especially greedily or unscrupulously: That vulture would sell out his best friend.

RELATED WORDS

rat, hyena, magpie

Nearby words

Origin of vulture

1325–75; Middle English < Latin vultur

Related formsvul·ture·like, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for vulture

Vulture wrote a helpful-ish explainer about how to make sure you see it.
Neil Patrick Harris: Yes, That’s My Penis In ‘Gone Girl’|Kevin Fallon|October 9, 2014|DAILY BEAST
On Buzzfeed, Vulture, Twitter, and in our hearts, these people are celebrated.
'Nick & Knight': Nick Carter and Jordan Knight Are Your New Boy Band Power Couple|Kevin Fallon|September 4, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Vulture, too, noticed her “effortless, self-deprecating charm.”
Jennifer Lawrence Shouldn’t Laugh Off Her Nude Photo Hack|Samantha Allen|September 2, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Specifically, it happened on October 15, when the series aired its fifth episode, “The Vulture.”
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Vulture Shia LaBeouf responds to Jim Carrey's Golden Globes attack.
'Frozen' Takes on Broadway, Outkast Announces Full Tour|Culture Team|January 13, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The same God made the eagle, the vulture, the hawk, and their helpless prey.
The Works of Robert G. Ingersoll, Vol. 4 (of 12)|Robert G. Ingersoll
And the glede, and the kite, and the vulture after his kind.
The Romance of Names|Ernest Weekley
That vultures were exhibited as great curiosities, will be seen from our notice of the George and Vulture.
The History of Signboards|Jacob Larwood
It is I, the vulture, son of a vulture, who steals chicks from under her mother.
Moorish Literature|Anonymous
After being on the road but three days, he died and was buried at the Vulture mining camp.
Forty Years Among the Indians|Daniel W. Jones

British Dictionary definitions for vulture

vulture

noun

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 (def. 2), lammergeier

any similar bird of the family Cathartidae of North, Central, and South AmericaSee also condor, turkey buzzard

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

Derived Formsvulture-like, adjective

Word Origin for vulture

C14: from Old French voltour, from Latin vultur; perhaps related to Latin vellere to pluck, tear

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

Word Origin and History for vulture

vulture

late 14c., from Anglo-French vultur, Old French voultour, from Latin vultur, earlier voltur, perhaps related to vellere "to pluck, to tear." Figurative sense is recorded from 1580s.