night owl

[ nahyt oul ]

noun

, Informal.

1. a person who often stays up late at night; nighthawk.

night owl

noun

1. informal.
   a person who is or prefers to be up and about late at night

Word History and Origins

Origin of night owl¹

First recorded in 1585–95

Idioms and Phrases

A person who habitually stays up late and is active at night, as in You can call her after midnight, for she's a night owl . This colloquial term, originally used in the late 1500s for an owl that is active at night, was transferred to nocturnal human beings in the mid-1800s.

Example Sentences

The new album’s title may hint at sunshine and waking hours, but make no mistake, Yoakam is a night owl, a man for whom work begins around dusk and often stretches into dawn.

From Los Angeles Times

I’m a huge night owl and I stay up until 2 in the morning watching TV shows and movies.

From Los Angeles Times

Fortunately, the moon will set around midnight in Southern California, removing that lunar pollution for night owls.

From Los Angeles Times

Among human beings, it's a familiar phenomenon: early birds rarely turn into night owls, and vice versa.

From Science Daily

Rick Miramontez is both a night owl and an early bird.

From New York Times