raven

1 of 3

noun

ra·ven ˈrā-vən

: a large, glossy-black bird (Corvus corax) that is widely distributed in northern parts of the northern hemisphere but now rare in most areas of the eastern and central U.S. and that differs from the closely related common crow chiefly in its larger size and wedge-shaped tail and in having the feathers of the throat narrow and pointed resulting in a shaggy appearance

also : any of various usually large and glossy black, corvine birds

raven

2 of 3

adjective

: shiny and black like a raven's feathers

raven hair

raven

3 of 3

verb

rav·en ˈra-vən

ravened; ravening ˈra-və-niŋ

ˈrav-niŋ

intransitive verb

: to feed greedily

: to prowl for food : prey

: plunder

transitive verb

: to devour greedily

: despoil

men … raven the earth, destroying its resources—

New Yorker

ravener

ˈra-və-nər

ˈrav-nər

noun

Example Sentences

Adjective had dark eyes and raven hair Verb the rat ravened the poisoned bait just as we had hoped

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

The beauty mogul left her raven hair down, and wore gold earrings and simple makeup palette. —

Aimée Lutkin, ELLE, 29 May 2023 The beauty mogul wore her raven hair down, and her makeup included rosy blush and a dark nude lip. —

Quinci Legardye, Harper's BAZAAR, 29 May 2023 Her raven locks cascaded down her back in beachy waves, stopping at her waist. —

Briannah Rivera, Seventeen, 26 May 2023 Single common ravens at Lake Tashmoo and Edgartown, 10 black skimmers in Edgartown, a harlequin duck in Aquinnah, and a blue-gray gnatcatcher and a Northern parula in the vicinity of the Sheriff’s Meadow Sanctuary pond. —

Isabela Rocha, BostonGlobe.com, 29 Apr. 2023 The birds that escaped have endured harassment from local ravens and crows, Dogan noted. —

Christian Martinez, Los Angeles Times, 24 Mar. 2023 Tall, with a white-satin skin and hair black as a raven’s wing, Madame de Ribes is a woman of commanding French elegance, whose beauty is the measure of a superb vitality. —

Richard Avedon, Town & Country, 12 May 2023 One to try is Hance Spring Road, also known as FR 9011D. Among the scrub oak and manzanita shrubs, skulking coyotes, rodents and lizards scurry under shadows cast by turkey vultures and ravens circling overhead in search of a meal. —

Mare Czinar, The Arizona Republic, 21 Apr. 2023 The eggs of a bald eagle couple in San Bernardino National Forest have been eaten by ravens, according to the Friends of Big Bear Valley. —

Marissa Evans, Los Angeles Times, 8 Mar. 2023

Adjective

Her raven hair was worn loose and paired with a nude pink lip. —

Quinci Legardye, Harper's BAZAAR, 27 May 2023 Will roost inside home, that bright thing, the curved beak that indicates eagle and not raven. —

Hazlitt, 17 May 2023 Shields’ company is also implementing drones to spray oil on raven eggs. —

Timothy Branning, Smithsonian Magazine, 14 Apr. 2023 Scientists in Anchorage, Fairbanks and outside Alaska have studied raven roosts. —

Ned Rozell | Alaska Science, Anchorage Daily News, 1 Apr. 2023 To play up a duet of romantic suits—one by Robert Wun, the other from Carolina Herrera—hairstylist Chuck Amos combed Ross's raven lengths into a sleek updo, the midi ponytail positioned on the higher side, braided, and left to swing straight between shoulder blades. —

Calin Van Paris, Vogue, 12 Oct. 2022 For the 2022 Critics Choice Awards on Sunday, March 13, the Saturday Night Live alum debuted dark, raven hair in a pixie cut. —

Carrie Wittmer, Glamour, 14 Mar. 2022 The next morning, Katherine, Jess, Brianna, and one of the raven-haired women (Gabi?), sit in one of the pool cabanas talking about kissing with tongue. —

Kristen Baldwin, EW.com, 31 Jan. 2023 Her portrayal in film — epitomized by Elizabeth Taylor’s 1963 performance — is that of a buxom, sultry femme fatale, her steamy eyes wing-tipped and her raven hair falling lushly around her shoulders. —

Cody Cottier, Discover Magazine, 11 Jan. 2021

Verb

Updated 3-3-2023, 1.50 PM EST: Kim says her dog Murphy befriends ravens, not crows. —

Khari Johnson, WIRED, 3 Mar. 2023 Elsewhere in the world, other species of raven are just as resourceful. —

Ed Yong, Discover Magazine, 20 Mar. 2011 The first thing was seeing a raven wheeling around in the wind before settling on an electrical post. —

Alli Harvey, Anchorage Daily News, 19 Nov. 2022 Maester, maester, send a messenger raven to my brother at King’s Landing at once! —

Charlie Dektar, The New Yorker, 19 Oct. 2022 Her hair was raven-colored and layered, and her skin was flawless. —

R29 Team, refinery29.com, 6 July 2022 The museum is six stories and has 11 galleries, and most notably holds the raven-shaped crown of Jigme Wangchuck, the second king of Bhutan, who ruled from 1926 to 1952. —

Jennifer Billock, Smithsonian Magazine, 14 Sep. 2022 Netflix Dream and his trusty raven Matthew (Patton Oswalt). —

Jennifer Ouellette, Ars Technica, 29 Aug. 2022 Way back when, Lucienne (Vivienne Acheampong) was the very first raven before graduating to librarian. —

Christian Holub, EW.com, 26 July 2022 See More

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'raven.' 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

Middle English, from Old English hræfn; akin to Old High German hraban raven, Latin corvus, Greek korax

Verb

probably verbal derivative of ravin

Note: It is pointed out by the Oxford English Dictionary, third edition, that given the Middle English attestation of the derivatives ravener "plunderer, predatory animal" and ravening "rapacious," this verb may also date to Middle English. Compare Anglo-French raviner "to steal, take away," apparently attested once.

First Known Use

Noun

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined above

Adjective

1637, in the meaning defined above

Verb

1530, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense 1

Time Traveler

The first known use of raven was before the 12th century

See more words from the same century