fowl

noun \ ˈfau̇(-ə)l \

|Updated on: 23 Jun 2018

Examples: fowl in a Sentence

Definition of fowl

plural fowl or fowls

1 : a bird of any kind — compare waterfowl, wildfowl

2 a : a cock or hen of the domestic chicken (Gallus gallus); especially : an adult hen

b : any of several domesticated (see ¹domesticate 2) or wild gallinaceous birds — compare guinea fowl, jungle fowl

3 : the meat of fowls used as food

roasted fowl

See fowl defined for English-language learners

See fowl defined for kids

Examples of fowl in a Sentence

I spotted a long-legged fowl by the water's edge.

Recent Examples of fowl from the Web

Russian officials in Kaliningrad are calling fowl on a Nigerian tradition of bringing good luck tokens to soccer matches.

— julia poe, SI.com, "Nigeria’s Lucky Chickens Banned From World Cup Stadiums," 15 June 2018
Although media reports don’t say how the fowl acquired the name, in my experience white people name everything.

— michael harriot, The Root, "I Wanted to Attend This Vigil For a Dead Chicken Just to Say I Was At The Whitest Thing That Ever Happened," 12 June 2018
Ponds on the course have potential to attract various water fowl and waders.

— taylor piephoff, charlotteobserver, "Chasing rarities can be fun, but enjoy the common species, too," 6 June 2018
Those who favor backyard chickens state that the fowl produce healthy eggs for eating and become pets.

— jeff piorkowski/special to cleveland.com, cleveland.com, "Packed house takes part in University Heights City Council chicken-keeping discussion; vote expected in April," 20 Mar. 2018
Humans and their cattle, pigs, and other livestock outweigh wild mammals by more than 20-fold; similarly, domesticated fowl surpass all other birds.

— elizabeth pennisi, Science | AAAS, "Plants outweigh all other life on Earth," 21 May 2018
The homeowners’ chickens and other fowl died in the fire.

— elise takahama, BostonGlobe.com, "Two-alarm blaze in Gloucester destroys home, kills chickens," 17 May 2018
In the field around us grew a grassy fern known as fowl mannagrass.

— ned rozell, Anchorage Daily News, "Finding a steaming oasis, isolated and remote: A look at Alaska’s hot springs," 14 Apr. 2018
The bowties are made from pheasant, guinea, rooster, goose and other fowl feathers.

— kirby adams, The Courier-Journal, "From bow ties to blow outs, it's time to begin sprucing up for the Kentucky Derby 2018," 13 Apr. 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'fowl.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of fowl

Middle English foul, from Old English fugel; akin to Old High German fogal bird, and probably to Old English flēogan to fly — more at fly

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: before 12th century

in the meaning defined at sense 1

See Words from the same year

Other Birds Terms

aerie, bunting, clutch, covey, hackle, ratite, rictus, ruff, skein, zygodactyl

fowl

verb

Definition of fowl

fowled; fowling; fowls

intransitive verb

: to seek, catch, or kill wildfowl

Recent Examples of fowl from the Web

Games include fowling — a game that combines football and bowling — as well as table tennis, foosball, air hockey and more.

— robert philpot, star-telegram.com, "Hanging out at 12 new patios in and around Fort Worth," 17 May 2017

Origin and Etymology of fowl

see ¹fowl

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: before 12th century

in the meaning defined above

See Words from the same year

Other Hunting and Fishing Terms

chum, covert, creel, flense, pitfall, seine, skulk, spoor, trawl

FOWL Defined for English Language Learners

fowl

noun

Definition of fowl for English Language Learners

: a bird (such as a chicken) that is raised for food
: the meat of such a bird used as food
: a bird of any kind

FOWL Defined for Kids

fowl

noun \ ˈfau̇l \

Definition of fowl for Students

plural fowl or fowls

1 : bird

wild fowls

2 : a common domestic rooster or hen

3 : the meat of a domestic fowl used as food

Headscratcher for fowl

Remove the first letter of fowl and you get an example of one: owl!

Learn More about fowl

See words that rhyme with fowl Spanish Central: Translation of fowl Nglish: Translation of fowl for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of fowl for Arabic speakers Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about fowl

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fowl

Definition of fowl

Examples of fowl in a Sentence

Recent Examples of fowl from the Web

Origin and Etymology of fowl

Other Birds Terms

fowl

Definition of fowl

Recent Examples of fowl from the Web

Origin and Etymology of fowl

Other Hunting and Fishing Terms

FOWL Defined for English Language Learners

fowl

Definition of fowl for English Language Learners

FOWL Defined for Kids

fowl

Definition of fowl for Students

Headscratcher for fowl

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