HOW TO PRONOUNCE
owl
/aʊl/
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American Pronunciation Guide · 0:47
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What does owl mean?
noun
- Any of various birds of prey of the order Strigiformes, families Strigidae and Tytonidae, that are primarily nocturnal and have forward-looking, binocular vision, limited eye movement, and good hearing.
- A person seen as having owl-like characteristics, especially appearing wise or serious, or being nocturnally active.
- An owl pigeon.
More meanings (6)
noun
- A politician with moderate views that are neither hawkish nor dovish.
- Any of various nymphalid butterflies, especially in the genus Caligo, having large eyespots on the wings.
- Initialism of Older Women's League.
- Initialism of Web Ontology Language (The order of the letters is discussed at Web Ontology Language § Acronym.)
- (slang) A player or fan of Sheffield Wednesday Football Club.
verb
- (archaic) To smuggle contraband goods.
Definitions regrouped for readability · CC BY-SA 4.0
IPA pronunciation
/aʊl/
CMU Pronouncing Dictionary ↗Pronunciation varies by speaker and region. About these dictionary pronunciations.
In the pages of books
See this word in context.
A little screech owl tuned up in the distance, a barn owl replied, and a great horned owl drowned both their voices.
Like an owl, who should suddenly see the sun rise, the convict had been dazzled and blinded, as it were, by virtue.
More book examples (3)
He says that hawk and bittern were tried, and that their zeal broke down over an old brown owl, "which was indescribable."
Among the birds are found some species now only living in cold countries, such as the snowy owl, willow grouse, and flamingo.
Another owl neighbor of mine, with whom I pass the time of day more frequently than with the last, lives farther away.