fowl

\ ˈfau̇(-ə)l

How to pronounce fowl (audio)

\

plural fowl or fowls

Definition of fowl

(Entry 1 of 2)

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

2a : 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

fowled; fowling; fowls

Definition of fowl (Entry 2 of 2)

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 Main course: Chicken or beef The cookbook has chicken recipes galore, but two non-fowl options from Margaret McCoy stand out. — Ashley Luthern, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "In 1984, the wives of Green Bay Packers players made a cookbook for charity. It's gold.," 28 Nov. 2019 Those brown patches are now covered by water with pond grasses that provide cover to whistling ducks, great blue herons and other water fowl. — Stephen Hudak, orlandosentinel.com, "Gotha lake threatens homes, Orange County does nothing, residents say," 30 Sep. 2019 There are large species of shorebirds and other water fowl. — Bill Van Niekerken, SFChronicle.com, "Remembering Emeryville’s mudflat art — and why the mud won out," 28 Aug. 2019 There were definitely deer, likely lobsters and fish, and some sort of wild fowl—maybe geese, ducks, turkey, or all of the above. — Brian Skerry, National Geographic, "How did we save wild turkeys?," 28 Nov. 2019 In the first, the problem was affection: Officials implored chicken owners to stop kissing, snuggling and sharing their homes with their fowl after a whopping 13% of people who contracted salmonella 'fessed up to smooching their birds. — Scottie Andrew, CNN, "Humans can get tuberculosis from deer, the CDC says," 29 Sep. 2019 Prior to that, other fowl — pheasant, duck and goose, dove, even swan — were preferred for eating, all through Asia and Rome, during Europe’s Middle Ages, and into the era of the New World. — Bill St. John, The Denver Post, "Get Cooking: Colombian exchange — the chicken," 25 Sep. 2019 Those who prefer shooting down fowl that can truly fly can eat unlimited crow; but dove, quail, duck and geese have bag limits. — George Mathis, ajc, "Georgia’s wild turkeys safe from Thanksgiving hunters," 25 Nov. 2019 The two previous production runs of the diffusers sold out at $3,900 each, and Markham is currently sourcing fowl for a third collection. — Damona Hoffman, Washington Post, "She left her social media job to take up taxidermy. Now her work is on TV.," 19 Nov. 2019 Recent Examples on the Web: Verb 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

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.

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Last Updated

6 Jan 2020

Cite this Entry

“Fowl.” The Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster Inc., https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/fowls. Accessed 19 January 2020.

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