wildfowl
Americannoun
noun
-
any bird that is hunted by man, esp any duck or similar aquatic bird
-
such birds collectively
Other Word Forms
- wildfowler noun
- wildfowling adjective
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.
A wildlife photographer has captured a fox swimming amongst wildfowl in East Yorkshire.
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
Because of the flowering plant’s resemblance to the head of a crane, the colonists called the fruit “craneberries” and used it in sour sauces they served with wildfowl.
From Washington Post • Nov. 16, 2018
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
Joliet from Green Bay entered Fox River, finding it a gentle, beautiful stream, promising easy and pleasant passage and abounding in wildfowl.
From Explorers and Travellers by Greely, Adolphus W.
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.
