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.

---

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

---

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

They also targeted so-called vulture funds -- investment firms that buy properties at low prices in pursuit of higher returns.

From Barron's ● Oct. 3, 2026

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

An artist now displays a small vulture sculpture she calls “Hillsborough Hooligan” in a downtown gallery.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 16, 2026

In the past few decades, vulture populations have seen sharp declines in some places.

From BBC ● May 8, 2026

A vulture emerged from a hollow in the cliffs.

From "The Wild Robot Protects" by Peter Brown

Some cranes, pelicans, and vultures weighing between 8kg and 21.5kg have hatchlings ranging from 110g to around 357g, corresponding to neonate-adult body mass ratios of about 1.3% to 4.5%.

From Science Daily ● Aug. 13, 2026

About a dozen vultures were feeding on the remains of a pregnant female elephant, who had died near full term, and her unborn calf.

From Barron's ● Aug. 13, 2026

Without vultures, ecosystems would lose a natural defence against the spread of disease.

From BBC ● Aug. 12, 2026

Without vultures, experts warn ecosystems lose a natural defence system.

From BBC ● Aug. 12, 2026

And as they stood they saw all the Nazgûl gathered together, hovering above the Towers of the Teeth like vultures; and they knew that they were watched.

From "The Return of the King" by J.R.R. Tolkien

Random Word

Spin the wheel and learn a new word!

---