night owl

noun

: a person who keeps late hours at night

Synonyms of night owl

• nighthawk

Examples of night owl in a Sentence

a night owl whose spouse is more of an early bird

Recent Examples on the Web

Some of the bodily clocks that affect you every day are the sleep-wake, or circadian, rhythm and your chronotype, which is the body’s natural timing preference—often described as being either an early bird or a night owl. — Masha Remskar, Scientific American, 29 Aug. 2026

Fall is here and early risers and night owls know that when the sun is down, feet get chilly. — Annie Blackman, InStyle, 29 Aug. 2026

Some of the bodily clocks that affect you every day are the sleep-wake, or circadian, rhythm and your chronotype, which is the body’s natural timing preference – often described as being either an early bird or a night owl. — Masha Remskar, The Conversation, 26 Aug. 2026

Researchers have found that trying to force a morning person into a late-night brainstorming session is a recipe for disaster—the same goes for night owls being expected to be at their best first thing. — Aytekin Tank, Forbes.com, 4 Aug. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1594, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for night owl

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

Kids Definition

night owl

noun

: a person who usually stays up late at night