fowl
gb/fˈaʊl/ us/fˈaʊl/
B1
English
~ 27700
Senses
0 senses
Noun
B1
entity
1
domestic bird kept for food
A farm bird, usually a chicken, that people keep for meat or eggs.
Usage pattern:
keep [fowl] for [eggs/meat]
Common mistake:
Learners sometimes confuse the spelling with "foul" (meaning dirty, unfair, or a rule break in sports). "Fowl" always refers to birds. Also, in the plural, both "fowl" and "fowls" are possible, but "fowl" as a group noun is more common in farming contexts.
Synonyms
poultry (More general word for farm birds raised for meat or eggs; used more often in food and farming contexts.)
Antonyms
mammal (Refers to warm-blooded animals that are not birds, contrasting with fowl as a type of bird.)
Collocations
domestic fowl
|barnyard fowl
|keep fowl
|raise fowl
|fowl house
|fowl farm
Themes
food
|animals
|farming
|food_drink
|daily_life
Examples
- They keep several kinds of fowl in the backyard for fresh eggs.
- The farm sells eggs from free-range fowl at the local market.
- Health inspectors came to check the condition of the fowl and their housing.
- The outbreak of disease forced the farmer to cull most of his fowl.
- Children were feeding the fowl behind the barn with leftover grain.
Learner examples
- My grandparents keep fowl on their small farm.
- The fowl run around inside the yard.
- We get fresh eggs from our own fowl.
- The farmer feeds his fowl every morning.
- They built a new house for the fowl.
Noun
B2
entity
2
wild or game bird for food
A wild bird that people hunt and eat, for example a duck or pheasant.
Usage pattern:
hunt [fowl] in [place]
Common mistake:
Learners may think "fowl" here means any bird. In hunting and food contexts it usually means larger birds that people eat, like ducks, geese, or pheasants, not small songbirds.
Synonyms
game bird (Typical term in hunting and wildlife contexts; more common than "fowl" in modern usage for this sense.)
Antonyms
protected species (Refers to animals that are legally protected and must not be hunted, the opposite of fowl that are hunted for food.)
Collocations
wild fowl
|game fowl
|migratory fowl
|shoot fowl
|roast fowl
|fowl and game
Themes
food
|sport
|animals
|food_drink
|nature
Examples
- The wetlands are an important winter home for wild fowl.
- Hunters must get a license before shooting migratory fowl.
- The restaurant specializes in roast fowl such as duck and goose.
- New regulations limit the number of fowl that can be taken each season.
- We watched flocks of fowl lifting off the lake at dawn.
Learner examples
- Many people hunt wild fowl in this area.
- The chef cooked a large fowl for the guests.
- They saw many fowl on the lake in winter.
- You need a permit to shoot fowl here.
- Wild fowl rest on the water at night.
Noun
literary
C1
entity
3
any bird, literary or old use
Any kind of bird, used in older or literary English.
Usage pattern:
the [fowl] of the [place]
Common mistake:
Learners may try to use "fowl" in this broad sense in everyday speech. In modern English, people almost always say "bird" instead; using "fowl" this way can sound old-fashioned or poetic.
Synonyms
bird (Normal modern word; "fowl" in this sense sounds old-fashioned or literary.)
Antonyms
fish (Often paired in older phrases like "fish and fowl" to contrast creatures of water and air.)
Collocations
fowl of the air
|fish and fowl
|beast and fowl
|land and fowl
Themes
animals
|literature
|nature
Examples
- The poet wrote of every beast and fowl beneath the sun.
- Ancient laws listed the rights to hunt both fish and fowl.
- The sky was dark with fowl returning to their nests.
- He claimed to know the name of every fowl that nested in the valley.
- The old text describes how fowl filled the air and streams teemed with life.
Learner examples
- In this old story, the word "fowl" means any bird.
- The writer says that many fowl fly over the hills.
- In the Bible, God makes fish and fowl.
- The poem talks about fowl in the sky.
- Here, "fowl" is a literary word for birds.
Verb
C2
action
4
hunt wild birds for sport
To go out and try to catch or shoot wild birds, usually for food or sport.
Usage pattern:
to fowl for [type of bird]
Common mistake:
Learners may confuse the verb "fowl" with the more common word "foul" (to make something dirty or to break a rule in sports). Also, the activity is more often called "bird hunting" or "duck hunting" in modern English; "to fowl" and especially "to go fowling" sound traditional or old-fashioned.
Synonyms
hunt birds (More general and more common expression; does not carry the traditional, slightly old-fashioned flavor of "fowl" as a verb.)
Antonyms
protect birds (Describes actively keeping birds safe, the opposite of going out to hunt them.)
Collocations
go fowling
|fowl for ducks
|fowl along the marshes
|fowl with a shotgun
Themes
sport
|animals
|outdoors
|sports
|food_drink
Examples
- They used to fowl along the estuary each autumn.
- Local hunters still fowl for ducks when the season opens.
- He learned to fowl with his grandfather in the marshes.
- Only a few people now have licenses to fowl in this area.
- In the past, families would fowl to provide meat for the winter.
Learner examples
- His father taught him to fowl when he was young.
- Many people fowl for ducks near the lake.
- In this story, poor men fowl to get food.
- They do not fowl here because the birds are protected.
- Hunters sometimes fowl with dogs and boats.
Grammar
Dictionary form
fowl
IPA
GB/fˈaʊl/
US/fˈaʊl/
Syllables & stress
fowl (1 syllable)
Stress on 1st syllable (fowl)
Word forms
Noun
- Base: fowl
- Plural: fowl, fowls
Verb
- Base: fowl
- 3rd Person Singular: fowls
- Present Participle: fowling
- Past: fowled
Word family
Forms
fowls
noun
fowling
verb
fowled
verb
Related words
poultry
noun B2
waterfowl
noun
Expressions
barnyard fowl
1/bˈɑɹnjˌɑɹd fˈaʊl/
fixed phrase
mixed farmyard birds
Different kinds of farm birds, like chickens and ducks, that live together in a farmyard.
Examples
- Children ran after the barnyard fowl, scattering them in all directions.
- The yard was full of noise from the barnyard fowl at feeding time.
- Foxes sometimes come at night to hunt the barnyard fowl.
domestic fowl
1/dəmˈɛstɪk fˈaʊl/
fixed phrase
farm birds used for food
Farm birds, such as chickens and ducks, that people keep for eggs or meat.
Examples
- The law requires all domestic fowl to be vaccinated against the disease.
- Domestic fowl are kept in large sheds on many modern farms.
- The report warns about the spread of flu among domestic fowl.
fowl and game
1/fˈaʊl ˈænd ɡˈeɪm/
fixed phrase
formal
birds and animals taken by hunting
Birds and other wild animals that people hunt and eat.
Examples
- The new law regulates the sale of fowl and game in local markets.
- Traditional menus often listed separate sections for fish, fowl and game.
- Import rules for fowl and game became stricter after the health scare.
game fowl
1/ɡˈeɪm fˈaʊl/
fixed phrase
domestic birds bred as game
A type of domestic bird, often a chicken, that was bred for fighting or for meat and is also seen as a game bird.
Examples
- The farm specializes in rare breeds of game fowl.
- Some traditional dishes use only game fowl raised outdoors.
- Regulations now strictly control the keeping of game fowl for fighting.
water fowl
1/wˈɔtɚ fˈaʊl/
fixed phrase
ducks, geese, swans and similar birds
Birds like ducks, geese, and swans that live on or near water.
Examples
- The lake supports many kinds of water fowl throughout the year.
- Visitors enjoy feeding the water fowl from the wooden bridge.
- Pollution in the river is killing fish and water fowl.
wild fowl
1/wˈaɪld fˈaʊl/
fixed phrase
wild birds, often in wetlands
Wild birds, especially ducks and geese, that live on lakes, rivers, or marshes and may be hunted.
Examples
- The reserve is famous for the large number of wild fowl that winter there.
- New rules limit hunting of wild fowl to protect their numbers.
- We watched wild fowl feeding quietly in the shallow water.