fowl

1 of 2

noun

ˈfau̇(-ə)l 

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 domesticate entry 1 sense 2) or wild gallinaceous birds compare guinea fowl, jungle fowl

3

: the meat of fowls used as food

roasted fowl

fowl

2 of 2

verb

fowled; fowling; fowls

intransitive verb

: to seek, catch, or kill wildfowl

Examples of fowl in a Sentence

Noun

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

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

The flood of fowl scampered up a hill to a cluster of empty food bowls. —Bennet Goldstein, jsonline.com, 4 July 2025

Now and then one of us would rise and peep over the grass to see if any fowl were approaching. —Nash Buckingham, Outdoor Life, 19 June 2025

In the accompanying caption, Duff shared the story behind their introduction to the fowl. —Erin Clements, People.com, 28 May 2025

Watch video of fowl play Saman Shafiq is a trending news reporter for USA TODAY. —Saman Shafiq, USA Today, 2 June 2025

Word History

Etymology

Noun and Verb

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

First Known Use

Noun

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing fowl

• jungle fowl
• neither fish nor fowl

Rhymes for fowl

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

Kids Definition

fowl

1 of 2 noun

ˈfau̇(ə)l 

plural fowl or fowls

1

: bird entry 1 sense 1: as

a

: a domestic cock or hen

especially : a full-grown hen

b

: any of several domesticated or wild birds related to the common domestic chicken

2

: the meat of fowl used as food

fowl

2 of 2 verb

: to hunt, catch, or kill wildfowl

fowler noun