owl

[ oul ]

noun

1. any of numerous, chiefly nocturnal birds of prey, of the order Strigiformes, having a broad head with large, forward-directed eyes that are usually surrounded by disks of modified feathers: many populations are diminishing owing to loss of habitat.
2. one of a breed of domestic pigeons having an owllike appearance.
3. night owl.
4. a person of owllike solemnity or appearance.

adjective

1. operating late at night or all night:

   an owl train.

owl

/ aʊl /

noun

1. any nocturnal bird of prey of the order Strigiformes, having large front-facing eyes, a small hooked bill, soft feathers, and a short neck
2. any of various breeds of owl-like fancy domestic pigeon (esp the African owl, Chinese owl, and English owl )
3. a person who looks or behaves like an owl, esp in having a solemn manner

Derived Forms

• ˈowl-ˌlike, adjective

Other Words From

• owllike adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of owl¹

before 900; Middle English oule, Old English ūle; cognate with Low German ūle, Dutch uil; akin to German Eule, Old Norse ugla

Word History and Origins

Origin of owl¹

Old English ūle; related to Dutch uil, Old High German ūwila, Old Norse ugla

Idioms and Phrases

see night owl .

Example Sentences

As a result, this abundant species is a critical resource for fish owls in winter.

From Popular-Science

The owl would see the fish, approach for a closer look, and get caught.

From Popular-Science

It was right around this time, when I’d come to terms with our failures, that we caught our first owl.

From Popular-Science

We’d still made some progress this year, even if we hadn’t caught any owls.

From Popular-Science

Either the resident fish owls were not interested in the frozen marine fish we offered as lures or the birds were unwilling to walk under the suspicious netted domes to investigate them.

From Popular-Science

This video remedies that injustice, showcasing an owl doing a butterfly stroke in Lake Michigan.

From The Daily Beast

Fernandez-Duque discovered that owl monkeys are the only reliably monogamous mammal species.

From The Daily Beast

Owl monkey offspring get an inordinate amount of care from their fathers.

From The Daily Beast

Heads the Owl Monkey Project, which has been studying owl monkeys in Argentina for 18 years.

From The Daily Beast

Keeping the hours of an owl, he does most of the location scouting and exploration.

From The Daily Beast

The old owl no longer hooted, and the water-oaks had ceased to moan as they bent their heads.

From Project Gutenberg

Now under the ivy-laden branches of a tall old tree an owl startles them with its shriek.

From Project Gutenberg

He peers out through his black-rimmed eyeglasses with the solemnity of an owl—but you should hear his songs!

From Project Gutenberg

Others sit, on the full stare, eyes fixed as those of an owl, upon the speaker.

From Project Gutenberg

A contemporary pamphleteer compared him to an owl in the sunshine pursued and pecked to death by flights of tiny birds.

From Project Gutenberg

Related Words

• bandit
• burglar
• criminal
• crook
• mugger
• pickpocket
• pirate
• robber
• sniper
• swindler