: a member of the British peerage ranking below a marquess and above a viscount
Examples of earl in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
With James' support, George became an earl, a marquess and ultimately a duke (a rarity for nonroyals).
—
Patrick Ryan, USA TODAY, 9 Apr. 2024
Young’s office earlier had turned down a request for a formal interview, unaware one of the journalists from the London paper was a dashing earl.
—Bill McGraw, Detroit Free Press, 17 Mar. 2024
Klimek: Moving into the 20th century, Tony cited the story of an English earl named Lord Carnarvon.
—Chris Klimek, Smithsonian Magazine, 24 Aug. 2023
Work began on the castle’s symmetrical wings and crowning dome in 1699 and after the lifetimes of three earls, it was finally completed in 1811.
—Rachel Silva, ELLE Decor, 8 Sep. 2023
See all Example Sentences for earl 
Patrick Ryan, USA TODAY, 9 Apr. 2024
Young’s office earlier had turned down a request for a formal interview, unaware one of the journalists from the London paper was a dashing earl.
—Bill McGraw, Detroit Free Press, 17 Mar. 2024
Klimek: Moving into the 20th century, Tony cited the story of an English earl named Lord Carnarvon.
—Chris Klimek, Smithsonian Magazine, 24 Aug. 2023
Work began on the castle’s symmetrical wings and crowning dome in 1699 and after the lifetimes of three earls, it was finally completed in 1811.
—Rachel Silva, ELLE Decor, 8 Sep. 2023
See all Example Sentences for earl
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'earl.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near earl
Cite this Entry
“Earl.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/earl. Accessed 31 Oct. 2024.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share