waterfowl

[ waw-ter-foul, wot-er- ]

/ ˈwɔ tərˌfaʊl, ˈwɒt ər- /

noun, plural wa·ter·fowls, (especially collectively) wa·ter·fowl.

a water bird, especially a swimming bird.

such birds taken collectively, especially the swans, geese, and ducks.

Nearby words

waterfall development, waterfinder, waterflood, waterford, waterford glass, waterfowl, waterfowler, waterfront, watergate, waterglass painting, waterhead

Origin of waterfowl

1250–1300; Middle English; cognate with German Wasservogel; see water, fowl

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

Examples from the Web for waterfowl

Wood pigeon, pheasant, partridge, grouse, peacocks, hares, wild rabbits, and waterfowl are all dietary staples.
Edible Taxidermy: It’s a Good Thing|Lizzie Crocker|August 5, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The waterfowl have begun to come more and more to the pond before the house.
Diaries of Court Ladies of Old Japan|Various
The river abounds in fish and waterfowl of all descriptions.
Explorations in Australia, The Journals of John McDouall Stuart|John McDouall Stuart
The prodigious variety of waterfowl on the sea-shore has been but barely hinted at.
Wanderings in South America|Charles Waterton

The voices of millions of waterfowl, around them, did not disturb their slumbers.
Christopher Carson|John S. C. Abbott
This morning I went with Amuba with our bows and arrows to shoot a hawk which has for some time been slaying the waterfowl.
The Cat of Bubastes|G. A. Henty

British Dictionary definitions for waterfowl

waterfowl

/ (ˈwɔːtəˌfaʊl) /

noun

any aquatic freshwater bird, esp any species of the family Anatidae (ducks, geese, and swans)

such birds collectively

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