vulture

American  

[vuhl-cher] / ˈvʌl tʃər /

noun

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

• vulture-like adjective
• vulturelike adjective

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

Example Sentences

I finally looked up the species: It was a gallinazo, also known as a black vulture, and as much as we might ignore them, they’d been circling the whole time.

From Slate • Mar. 30, 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

He places the stones on Tom’s lap, Ms. Kessler tells us, “and walks slowly around the room, waving a vulture feather in the air.”

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 23, 2026

Hooded vultures, like other vulture species across Africa and Asia, are critically endangered, with fewer than 150,000 left in the wild.

From BBC • Aug. 25, 2025

Wind circles my head like a vulture, and I flinch from hands burning with unnatural heat.

From "An Ember in the Ashes" by Sabaa Tahir