: a large fish-eating hawk (Pandion haliaetus) with long wings that is dark brown above and mostly pure white below
2
: a feather trimming used for millinery
Illustration of osprey
osprey 1
Examples of osprey in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Wildlife in the park includes bald eagles, ospreys, and manatees.—Lydia Mansel, Travel + Leisure, 25 Aug. 2025 The department sometimes issues nest removal permits when ospreys make nests on critical infrastructure like utility poles and cellphone tower, but they are usually denied if chicks remain.—Brie Stimson, FOXNews.com, 24 Aug. 2025 Working with the state Department of Natural Resources, the school has been sending up a drone twice a week to monitor the chicks so that once the young ospreys are old enough and fly off, crews can remove the nest and switch on the traditional Friday Night Lights.—Jason Ma, Fortune, 23 Aug. 2025 So are the deer, turkeys, skunks, crickets, spiders, ticks, bats, dragonflies, and ospreys.—Eric Lach, New Yorker, 18 Aug. 2025 See All Example Sentences for osprey
Word History
Etymology
Middle English ospray, from Anglo-French *osfraie, from Latin ossifraga, a bird of prey
Share