owl

owl — noun

1. a bird that is out mainly at night, with a round-looking face and big eyes, that

1.nounB2
Definition

a bird that is out mainly at night, with a round-looking face and big eyes, that catches mice and similar small animals for food

Example

An owl sat on the school roof and watched the field.

We heard an owl calling from the dark trees behind camp.

hear an owl call

Common collocations
  • barn owl
  • snowy owl
  • owl call
  • owl feather
  • an owl flies silently
Synonyms
  • bird of prey

    a broader category; an owl is one kind of hunting bird

  • raptor

    a more formal word used in biology and wildlife writing

  • night bird

    a descriptive phrase, not a precise species term

Grammar Patterns

see an owl

hear an owl call

owl in a tree

an owl catches mice

Usage Note

Usually countable. Common verbs are see, hear, watch, and spot, and typical scenes mention trees, roofs, barns, or woods at night.

Common Mistakes

We saw owl in the tree.
We saw an owl in the tree.
Use an article before a singular countable noun.

2. someone who usually stays awake until very late and does not like going to bed e

2.noun
Definition

someone who usually stays awake until very late and does not like going to bed early

Example

Eva is a night owl and writes songs after midnight.

fixed phrase: a night owl

My brother became a real night owl during exam week.

Common collocations
  • night owl
  • real night owl
  • fellow night owls
  • not an early bird
Synonyms
  • night owl

    the usual fixed phrase for this meaning

  • night person

    an informal descriptive phrase for someone active late

  • insomniac

    only if the person cannot sleep; a night owl may simply prefer late hours

Antonyms
  • early bird

    someone who prefers getting up and working early

Grammar Patterns

be a night owl

night owls stay up late

not an early bird

Usage Note

Almost always used in the fixed phrase night owl. Owl by itself is unusual for this meaning.

Common Mistakes

I am an owl, so I study at 2 a.m.
I am a night owl, so I study at 2 a.m.
English usually uses the fixed phrase night owl for this meaning.

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

Owl is the normal word for this night-active bird with a large face and forward-looking eyes. Hawk is a broader everyday word for a hunting bird, but hawks are more often seen in daytime and do not suggest the same round face. Eagle usually refers to a much larger and more powerful bird, often with ideas of strength or height. Falcon is more exact and often suggests speed, sharp wings, and trained hunting. If you mean the bird people hear in woods after dark, owl is the clear choice. You can say, 'We heard an owl near the tents,' but not usually 'We heard a falcon near the tents' with the same feeling.

owl ↗hawk ↗eagle ↗falcon ↗

Etymology

Proto-GermanicOld EnglishEnglish

Owl comes from Old English ule, from an older Germanic word for this bird. The form changed over time, but it has been a basic English name for the animal for many centuries.