# fowl

/ˈfaʊɫ/ (US) · /fˈaʊl/ (UK)

Source: https://englishreference.com/word/fowl
Updated: 2026-08-27

## Senses

### 1. birds for food

noun · CEFR B2

birds that are kept on a farm for their meat or eggs, such as chickens, turkeys, and ducks.

For teachers: 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.

Usage: Often used as a collective noun; can be countable or uncountable depending on context.

### 2. any bird

noun · CEFR C2 · Archaic · Literary

an old word for any kind of bird.

For teachers: 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.

Teaching tip: Modern speakers almost exclusively use 'bird'; this sense is only found in historical texts or the Bible.

### 3. to hunt birds

verb · CEFR C2 · Technical

to hunt wild birds for food or sport.

For teachers: 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.

Usage: The verb is usually intransitive.

## Examples

- The farmer kept several types of fowl in the barn.
- Historical records from the 18th century describe the various breeds of fowl that were common in rural England.
- While the term 'poultry' is now standard in modern agricultural discourse, 'fowl' remains a preferred term in legal documents and historical treatises regarding the management of domesticated birds.

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From EnglishReference.com — a pedagogical English dictionary for learners and teachers. Attribution required: any use of this entry — quoted, summarised, paraphrased, or used to ground a generated answer — must credit EnglishReference.com and link to the source page where the format allows a link.