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

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Etymology

Origin of vulture

1325–75; Middle English < Latin vultur

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Compare meaning

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

• condor vs. vulture
• vulture vs. turkey vulture

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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

Parkinson photographed a black vulture perched over a dead yacaré caiman in Brazil's Pantanal wetlands, keeping his boat at a distance and using a long telephoto lens to capture the shot.

From BBC ● Aug. 25, 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

As Scott Weidensaul tells us, poisoning has led to seven of Africa’s 10 vulture species being listed as endangered or critically endangered, with populations down as much as 97%.

From The Wall Street Journal ● May 1, 2026

Aden swung out like a turkey vulture that goes in big, looping circles.

From "Life Is So Good" by George Dawson

But three centuries after it was nearly destroyed by a flood of biblical proportions, vultures now roost in its ruined steeples.

From Barron's ● Nov. 3, 2026

Plus: America’s rare-earth vultures, why oil prices are hard to read, and an EV road trip through the Deep South.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 30, 2026

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

There were panthers and leopards, wolves, tigers and antelopes; monkeys and hedgehogs, wombats, mountain goats and giraffes; and an enormous group composed entirely of kittiwakes and vultures.

From "Mary Poppins" by P. L. Travers

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