: any of an order (Strigiformes) of chiefly nocturnal birds of prey with a large head and eyes, short hooked bill, strong talons, and soft fluffy often brown-mottled plumage

Examples of owl in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
They’re comforted by the hoots of owls and snorts of pig frogs. Michelle Marchante, Miami Herald, 1 July 2025 Think of Duolingo’s owl, Mailchimp’s Freddie and so on. Expert Panel®, Forbes.com, 30 June 2025 Its green owl mascot had gone viral multiple times and was well known to younger users—a success story other marketers envied. Reece Rogers, Wired News, 28 June 2025 In 1994, the dispute finally led to President Clinton protecting 24 million acres of ancient forest housing the owls. Mitch Friedman, Denver Post, 10 June 2025 See All Example Sentences for owl

Word History

Etymology

Middle English owle, from Old English ūle; akin to Old High German uwila owl

First Known Use

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of owl was before the 12th century

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Cite this Entry

“Owl.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/owl. Accessed 7 Jul. 2025.

Kids Definition

owl

noun
: any of an order of birds of prey that are active mainly at night and that have a broad head, very large eyes, and a powerful hooked beak and claws

More from Merriam-Webster on owl

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