fowl

1 of 2

noun

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 two admins for the group, one of whom sells live fowl in the Philippines from their Facebook profile, did not respond to interview requests. Emily Baker-White, Forbes, 25 Sep. 2024 But that's how popular Sesame Street's resident golden fowl has become since the children's series premiered in 1969. Ryan Coleman, EW.com, 18 Sep. 2024
Verb
While most opt for a scoop and knife, or even power tools, Tiffani Thiessen outsources the work to fowl friends. EW.com, 18 Oct. 2023 The Coast Guard tried using deploy prop fowling devices to stop the boat but were unsuccessful, according to the sheriff's office. Gina Martinez, CBS News, 2 Aug. 2023 See all Example Sentences for fowl 

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

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

Time Traveler
The first known use of fowl was before the 12th century

Dictionary Entries Near fowl

Cite this Entry

“Fowl.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/fowl. Accessed 3 Oct. 2024.

Kids Definition

fowl

1 of 2 noun
plural fowl or fowls
1
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

More from Merriam-Webster on fowl

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