osprey

noun

os·​prey ˈä-sprē  -ˌsprā 

plural ospreys

1

: a large fish-eating hawk (Pandion haliaetus) with long wings that is dark brown above and mostly pure white below

2

: a feather trimming used for millinery

Illustration of osprey

• osprey 1

Examples of osprey in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

These days, the old salt flats are inhabited by osprey, egrets, pelicans, herons, and more. —Laura Begley Bloom, AFAR Media, 10 Mar. 2025

Throughout the marshes and along sandy beaches, visitors will see pelicans wading around piers with their gular pouches full of fish, ospreys, warblers, terns, herons, egrets, black-necked stilts, and roseate spoonbills, which are a vibrant bubblegum-pink color, due to their shrimp diet. —Amanda Ogle, Travel + Leisure, 8 Feb. 2025

Watch dunlins, piping plovers, herons, osprey, and even bald eagles make the mangroves and coastal pines their warm-weather home. —Kelsey Glennon, Southern Living, 15 Feb. 2025

And of course, no visit is complete without basking in the beauty of Lake Seminole, a scenic water feature that’s ideal for spotting ospreys and bald eagles. —Jared Ranahan, Forbes, 21 Jan. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Middle English ospray, from Anglo-French *osfraie, from Latin ossifraga, a bird of prey

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Kids Definition

osprey

noun

os·​prey ˈäs-prē  -ˌprā 

plural ospreys

: a large hawk that is dark brown above and mostly white below and that feeds chiefly on fish

called also fish hawk