falcon

noun

fal·con ˈfal-kən

ˈfȯl-

also ˈfȯ-kən

: any of various hawks trained for use in falconry

especially : peregrine falcon

—used technically only of a female compare tiercel

: any of various hawks (family Falconidae) that have long pointed wings, a long tail, and a notched beak and that usually inhabit open areas

Example Sentences

Recent Examples on the Web North Texas airports are testing out techniques like non-toxic chemicals, pyrotechnics and even falcons to make sure birds and airliners don’t collide — such as the incident last week that took out an engine on a Southwest Airlines jet and forced an emergency landing in Cuba. —

Alexandra Skores, Dallas News, 13 Mar. 2023 The news of the hatching on Alcatraz came a day after two peregrine falcon chicks hatched in the UC Berkeley clock tower to a pair of falcons known as Annie and Lou, with two more eggs expected to hatch shortly. —

Aidin Vaziri, San Francisco Chronicle, 12 Apr. 2023 Female thorny devils, a spiky lizard endemic to Australia, are a favorite target for falcons during breeding season because the lizards hold dozens of eggs in their belly. —

Stephanie Pappas, Scientific American, 11 Apr. 2023 Inside the Souq Waqif -- a sprawling marketplace in downtown Doha that is sure to be popular with tourists because of its restaurants, cafes and stores -- a falcon perches on the left wrist of man lounging on a long bench in front of his shop and scrolling through his cellphone. —

Arkansas Online, 3 Nov. 2022 The custom 280mm AIO, complete with the titular RGB falcon logo, is largely whisper-quiet during use, even while working hard for games or workstation scenarios. —

Mitch Wallace, Forbes, 8 Nov. 2021 Its chest had a gilded decoration in the shape of a necklace with a falcon's head pendant, the symbol of the god Horus. —

Fox News, 5 Feb. 2021 For a few moments, the movements of the protesters look very much like a murmuration of starlings responding to an attacking falcon, or maybe little fish to a shark—parting like water in front of a boat, swirling in eddies around the invader, regrouping behind it. —

Adam Rogers, Wired, 31 July 2020 The female falcon, known as Lawrencium, who was born in a nest on UC Berkeley’s Campanile clock tower, was the first peregrine in recorded history to nest on Alcatraz with her mate. —

Aidin Vaziri, San Francisco Chronicle, 12 Apr. 2023 See More

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'falcon.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.