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owl

OWL/aʊ(ə)l/

Pluralowls

6 meanings of owl

Practice

  1. 1
    bird of preynouncountable
    A bird that hunts at night and has big eyes that face forward and very good hearing.

    Like a cat that hunts quietly at night, but with wings.

    An owl flew out of the barn just after sunset.

    We heard owls calling in the woods all night.

  2. 2
    nouncountable
    A person who seems wise or serious, or who likes to stay up late at night.

    Grandpa is a real owl and never goes to bed before two in the morning.

    Our teacher is a wise old owl who thinks for a long time before he answers.

    UsageOften night owl: a person who stays up late.

    Similarnighthawk

    Oppositelark

    Note
  3. 3
    nounrarecountable
    A politician who takes a middle path between those who want to fight and those who want peace.

    Similarmoderate, centrist

    Note

Less common meanings

  1. 4
    verbarchaicintransitive
    To secretly carry goods across a border when the law does not allow it.
    Note
  2. 5
    noun
    A large butterfly with big spots on its wings that look like the eyes of an owl.
  3. 6
    noun
    A kind of pet pigeon with a very short beak and fluffy feathers on its chest.

Practice

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Origin

The word comes from Old English "ūle," from older Germanic words for the bird. It likely began as an imitation of the owl's sound.

Checked 31 Oct 2026 · 2 facts