Word
fowl
US/ˈfaʊɫ/
UK/fˈaʊl/
Definitions
01birds for food
B2 · Upper Intermediate Countable noun
n. birds that are kept on a farm for their meat or eggs, such as chickens, turkeys, and ducks.
n. birds belonging to the orders Galliformes or Anseriformes, typically raised or hunted for human consumption.
“The farmer kept various types of fowl, including several noisy geese and chickens.”
“The local market specialised in wild fowl, offering seasonal game that was highly prized by the city's top chefs.”
02any bird
C2 · Proficiency Countable noun Archaic · Literary
n. an old word for any kind of bird.
n. a general term for any bird, regardless of species or utility.
“In the old story, the air was filled with every kind of fowl imaginable.”
“The poet described the 'fowls of the air' in a style that felt deliberately reminiscent of seventeenth-century scripture.”
Synonyms
03to hunt birds
C2 · Proficiency Technical
v. to hunt wild birds for food or sport.
v. to hunt, catch, or shoot wildfowl.
“He spent his autumn weekends fowling in the marshes near the coast.”
“The estate manager granted the villagers limited rights to go fowling along the riverbanks during the winter months.”
Synonyms
Usage
Often used as a collective noun; can be countable or uncountable depending on context.
The verb is usually intransitive.
Teaching tip
Modern speakers almost exclusively use 'bird'; this sense is only found in historical texts or the Bible.
Real-World Examples
“In a study involving guinea fowl, researchers discovered that birds accustomed to carrying weights while growing up could carry those weights as adults without using extra energy, while untrained birds burned 23% more.” “Restaurants hand-paint signs asking patrons not to feed the fowl.” Etymology
From Middle English foul, foghel, fowel, fowele, from Old English fugol (“bird”), from Proto-West Germanic fugl, from Proto-Germanic fuglaz, dissimilated variant of fluglaz (compare Old English flugol ‘fleeing’, Mercian fluglas heofun ‘birds of the air’), from fleuganą (“to fly”). Cognate with West Frisian fûgel, Low German Vagel, Dutch vogel, German Vogel, Swedish fågel, Danish and Norwegian fugl. Doublet of voël. More at fly.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Word family
NOUN
Idioms
- Exam level
- CambridgeCambridgeCambridge English QualificationsThe exam suite from Cambridge University Press & Assessment, from A1 Movers up to C2 Proficiency. The benchmark names double as CEFR labels.C1 AdvancedIELTSIELTSInternational English Language Testing SystemThe 0–9 band test co-owned by the British Council, IDP, and Cambridge. Used for university entry, work, and migration.7.0–8.0TOEFL iBTTOEFL iBTTest of English as a Foreign Language, Internet-Based TestETS's academic English test, the standard route for US university admissions. Scored 0–120, with a 1–6 scale since 2026.1–6 scale: 5.0–5.595–113TOEICTOEICTest of English for International CommunicationETS's workplace English test, big in Japan and Korea. Listening & Reading scores 10–990 and tops out at C1.945–990
- Frequency
- Occasional
- Level
- C1 · Advanced
- Updated
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QR code
englishreference.com/q/fowl