vulture

noun

vul·ture ˈvəl-chər

: 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

: a rapacious or predatory person

vulturish

ˈvəl-chə-rish

adjective

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 Most vultures, in contrast, do not hunt for their food and are exclusively attracted to carrion. —

Emilie Le Beau Lucchesi, Discover Magazine, 31 July 2023 Shot by South African photojournalist Kevin Carter amid famine in Sudan, the image, which ricocheted around the world, showed a starving girl collapsed on the ground en route to a food distribution center as a vulture eyed her menacingly. —

Emily Langer, Washington Post, 5 Sep. 2023 The Big 12 then moved quickly to vulture some other appealing pieces, making offers to Arizona, ASU, and Utah. —

Eric Walden, The Salt Lake Tribune, 7 Aug. 2023 Before Ghana could mourn its losses, or rebuild, it was set upon by vultures from around the world and destroyed from within by opportunistic crooks. —

Michael Schaub, BostonGlobe.com, 3 Aug. 2023 Elliott could impact in short-yardage or vulture a few touchdowns, but the two-time rushing champion is firmly past his prime, while Stevenson is on the precipice of a breakout. —

Eddie Brown, San Diego Union-Tribune, 29 Aug. 2023 Zambia Big cats are making a comeback in Zambia’s Kafue National Park, thanks to a group of nonprofits using vultures to help monitor wildlife health. —

Cameron Pugh, The Christian Science Monitor, 25 Aug. 2023 Humans sometimes retaliate against cats that attack livestock by poisoning an animal carcass, which can kill dozens of scavengers like lions and vultures. —

Cameron Pugh, The Christian Science Monitor, 25 Aug. 2023 Pinnacles National Park - California Birds of Pinnacles National Park: California quail, California condor, Turkey vulture, Golden eagle, Prairie falcon, Acorn woodpecker and Steller’s jay. —

Camille Fine, USA TODAY, 29 July 2023 See More

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

Middle English vultur, from Anglo-French, from Latin

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler

The first known use of vulture was in the 14th century

See more words from the same century

Cite this Entry

Style

“Vulture.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/vulture. Accessed 28 Sep. 2023.

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Kids Definition

vulture

noun

vul·ture ˈvəl-chər

: 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

: a greedy or predatory person