: 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
That’s not counting the park’s roster of wildlife, from black bears and mountain lions to owls, pronghorns, and bighorn sheep.
—
Stephanie Vermillion, Travel + Leisure, 17 May 2026
Harry’s aunt and uncle have been preventing such dispatches from reaching the young wizard-to-be, but the boarding school’s messenger owls are having none of it.
—Todd Martens, Los Angeles Times, 14 May 2026
Safe Haven depicts three children playing under a squirrel, a cardinal and an owl while under a tree with leaves falling upon them.
—Cam'ron Hardy, Chicago Tribune, 14 May 2026
There was letter-sound bingo, guess-the-sound flashcards and even a visit from a special spelling helper — a toy owl, named Echo, who lives at the end of a yardstick.
—Cory Turner, NPR, 13 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for owl
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.
Stephanie Vermillion, Travel + Leisure, 17 May 2026
Harry’s aunt and uncle have been preventing such dispatches from reaching the young wizard-to-be, but the boarding school’s messenger owls are having none of it.
—Todd Martens, Los Angeles Times, 14 May 2026
Safe Haven depicts three children playing under a squirrel, a cardinal and an owl while under a tree with leaves falling upon them.
—Cam'ron Hardy, Chicago Tribune, 14 May 2026
There was letter-sound bingo, guess-the-sound flashcards and even a visit from a special spelling helper — a toy owl, named Echo, who lives at the end of a yardstick.
—Cory Turner, NPR, 13 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for owl
Cite this Entry
“Owl.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/owl. Accessed 21 May. 2026.
Copy CitationKids 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
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
