owl

noun

ˈau̇(-ə)l 

: any of an order (Strigiformes) of chiefly nocturnal birds of prey with a large head and eyes, short hooked bill, strong talons, and soft fluffy often brown-mottled plumage

Examples of owl in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Silicon Valley has given the world the Firefox Fox, now-defunct Gateway cows, the former Twitter bird, GitHub’s octopus, Mailchimp’s monkey and Hootsuite’s owl. — Ankolika De, The Conversation, 5 Nov. 2026

Kaepora Gaebora, the talking owl who guides your path, won't repeat himself at the slightest provocation. — James Perkins Mastromarino, NPR, 4 Nov. 2026

The celebrity barn owls’ saga follows in the footsteps of Flaco, the Eurasian eagle-owl, who captivated the city for a year after escaping from the Central Park Zoo after someone cut a hole through the mesh of his enclosure. — Lincoln Anderson, New York Daily News, 3 Nov. 2026

This type of owl is also extremely rare in the city, according to the New York City Parks Department. — Dave Carlin, CBS News, 2 Nov. 2026

Word History

Etymology

Middle English owle, from Old English ūle; akin to Old High German uwila owl

First Known Use

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing owl

• barn owl
• barred owl
• burrowing owl
• elf owl
• flammulated owl
• great horned owl
• horned owl
• night owl
• northern spotted owl
• owl monkey
• saw-whet owl
• screech owl
• short-eared owl
• snowy owl
• spotted owl

Rhymes for owl

• foul
• foule
• fowl
• growl
• howl
• jowl
• prowl
• scowl
• afoul
• wildfowl
• waterfowl

Kids Definition

owl

noun

ˈau̇(ə)l 

: any of an order of birds of prey that are active mainly at night and that have a broad head, very large eyes, and a powerful hooked beak and claws