vulture

noun

vul·​ture ˈvəl-chər 

1

: any of various large birds (families Accipitridae and Cathartidae) that are related to the hawks, eagles, and falcons but have weaker claws and the head usually naked and that subsist chiefly or entirely on carrion

2

: a rapacious or predatory person

vulturish

ˈvəl-chə-rish 

adjective

Synonyms of vulture

• predator
• vampire

Examples of vulture in a Sentence

As soon as they learned of his arrest, the media vultures started circling.

noted that the paparazzi are vultures who could not exist without the connivance of the tabloid-buying public

Recent Examples on the Web

Families can learn about slugs, spiders, vultures and more during Creepy Critters Month at the Knoch Knolls Nature Center, 320 Knoch Knolls Road, a park district news release said. — Michelle Mullins, Chicago Tribune, 23 Sep. 2026

In March a whale corpse was found floating in San Francisco Bay, seagulls perched on top like vultures at carrion. — Ainslie Cruickshank, Scientific American, 9 Sep. 2026

The camel is a vulture; the vulture is a camel; for Bernard is a dangling wire, loose but seductive. — Literary Hub, 8 Sep. 2026

What use is there just waiting for the vultures to circle overhead? — David Ehrlich, IndieWire, 4 Sep. 2026

Word History

Etymology

Middle English vultur, from Anglo-French, from Latin

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing vulture

• bearded vulture
• turkey vulture
• vulture capitalism

Rhymes for vulture

• culture
• kultur
• agriculture
• apiculture
• aquaculture
• counterculture
• floriculture
• horticulture
• mariculture
• monoculture
• sericulture
• silviculture

Kids Definition

vulture

noun

vul·​ture ˈvəl-chər 

1

: any of various large birds that feed mostly on animals found dead and that are related to the hawks and eagles but have weaker claws and the head usually naked

2

: a greedy or predatory person