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

• 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

Tying the vulture's feathers to a pregnant woman's legs was also said to help speed up labor. —Andrea Margolis, FOXNews.com, 10 Aug. 2025

Jena’s husband wanted to leave her body to the vultures. —Literary Hub, 8 Aug. 2025

Intelligencer The Cut Vulture The Strategist Curbed Grub Street vulture games Telematrix No. 48: August 7, 2025 Aug. 7, 2025 A new Telematrix drops every Monday and Thursday. —Britina Cheng, Vulture, 7 Aug. 2025

And while his 15-year run doesn’t get enough credit, the vultures have been circling, waiting for a slip. —Carl Lamarre, Billboard, 5 Aug. 2025

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