as in nighthawk
a person who is active late at night
a night owl whose spouse is more of an early bird
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Recent Examples of night owl
The smartphone screen is visible in direct sunlight, but night owls will appreciate a front light that can be adjusted for warm/cold temperatures across 36 levels.
—
New Atlas, 18 Sep. 2025
Early birds tend to get more good-quality shuteye than night owls—who doze off later at night but probably still have to wake up relatively early due to typical work schedules, Dr. Dashti notes.
—Erica Sloan, SELF, 4 Sep. 2025
But night owls may catch a break this fall: the T is piloting late-night service on all subway lines and eight bus routes for five weekends, extending operations until 1:30 a.m.
—Cameron Sperance, Travel + Leisure, 4 Sep. 2025
The night owl hours aren’t new.
—Blair Kerkhoff, Kansas City Star, 12 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for night owl
New Atlas, 18 Sep. 2025
Early birds tend to get more good-quality shuteye than night owls—who doze off later at night but probably still have to wake up relatively early due to typical work schedules, Dr. Dashti notes.
—Erica Sloan, SELF, 4 Sep. 2025
But night owls may catch a break this fall: the T is piloting late-night service on all subway lines and eight bus routes for five weekends, extending operations until 1:30 a.m.
—Cameron Sperance, Travel + Leisure, 4 Sep. 2025
The night owl hours aren’t new.
—Blair Kerkhoff, Kansas City Star, 12 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for night owl
Recent Examples of Synonyms for night owl
nighthawk
Noun
-
Somewhere in the desert, nighthawks are rising from reefs of blood-red clouds.—
Rowan Jacobsen,
Harpers Magazine,
24 Oct. 2025
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Whip-poor-wills and nighthawks, for example, feed on moths and other flying insects at night, foraging when there is less competition with other species.—
The New York Times Elaine Chen Emily Anthes,
New York Times,
18 May 2023
Cite this Entry
“Night owl.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/night%20owl. Accessed 14 Nov. 2025.
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