wildfowl
Americannoun
noun
-
any bird that is hunted by man, esp any duck or similar aquatic bird
-
such birds collectively
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of wildfowl
before 1000; Middle English wilde foul, Old English wildefugl. See wild, fowl
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Although the fox would attack the wildfowl on land, they are unable to do so once in the water.
From BBC • Mar. 7, 2026
The 64-year-old has a particular penchant for wildfowl shooting in the U.S.
From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 16, 2026
Jim Edwards told the Toronto paper that his father had 20/20 eyesight and had been a crack marksman as a youth when he used to shoot duck and other wildfowl on the prairies of Saskatchewan.
From Washington Post • May 21, 2022
Higher concentrations of certain nitrogen isotopes are a sign of a diet rich in animals that have a relatively high place in the food web — such as wildfowl and freshwater fish.
From Scientific American • Aug. 18, 2014
When they had left it behind them the lane of water was empty except for one small dark patch upon it, and the clamor of the wildfowl was dying away.
From The Boy Ranchers of Puget Sound by Bindloss, Harold
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
