Illustration of peafowl
- A female (peahen)
- B male (peacock)
peafowl
noun
pea·fowl
ˈpē-ˌfau̇(-ə)l 
: any of three very large terrestrial pheasants (Pavo cristatus and P. muticus of southeastern Asia and Afropavo congensis of central Africa) often raised as ornamental fowls due to their usually colorful, iridescent plumage and especially for the long, trailing tail coverts of the male which can be held more or less erect and outspread see also peacock, peahen
Examples of peafowl in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Two male peafowl, one adult opossum and one juvenile opossum were brought to the center.
—
Laylan Connelly, Orange County Register, 10 Jan. 2025
Peafowl is the common name for two bird species that belong to the genus Pavo: blue or Indian peafowl, which are originally from the Indian subcontinent and green peafowl, which are native to Southeast Asia.
—Jacqueline Pinedo, Sacramento Bee, 14 Apr. 2024
The birds are commonly known as peacocks, though the females are technically peahens, and both are peafowl.
—Sydney Page, Washington Post, 21 Mar. 2024
Peacock feathers through eyes of four different animals: (a) a peafowl; (b) humans; (c) honeybees; and (d) dogs.
—Jennifer Ouellette, Ars Technica, 23 Jan. 2024
See All Example Sentences for peafowl
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.
Laylan Connelly, Orange County Register, 10 Jan. 2025
Peafowl is the common name for two bird species that belong to the genus Pavo: blue or Indian peafowl, which are originally from the Indian subcontinent and green peafowl, which are native to Southeast Asia.
—Jacqueline Pinedo, Sacramento Bee, 14 Apr. 2024
The birds are commonly known as peacocks, though the females are technically peahens, and both are peafowl.
—Sydney Page, Washington Post, 21 Mar. 2024
Peacock feathers through eyes of four different animals: (a) a peafowl; (b) humans; (c) honeybees; and (d) dogs.
—Jennifer Ouellette, Ars Technica, 23 Jan. 2024
See All Example Sentences for peafowl
Cite this Entry
“Peafowl.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/peafowl. Accessed 5 May. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share