whippoorwill

UK:**UK and possibly other pronunciationsUK and possibly other pronunciations/ˈwɪpʊərwɪl/

US:USA pronunciation: IPAUSA pronunciation: IPA/ˈhwɪpɚˌwɪl, ˈwɪp-/

US:USA pronunciation: respellingUSA pronunciation: respelling(hwip′ər wil′, wip′-; hwip′ər wil′, wip′-)



WordReference Random House Learner's Dictionary of American English © 2026
whip•poor•will /ˈhwɪpɚˌwɪl, ˈwɪp-/USA pronunciation   n. [countable]
  1. Birdsa North American bird with a loud, repeated call.

WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2026
whip•poor•will  (hwip′ər wil′, wip′-; hwip′ər wil′, wip′-),USA pronunciation n. 
  1. Birdsa nocturnal North American nightjar, Caprimulgus vociferus, having a variegated plumage of gray, black, white, and tawny.
  • imitative 1700–10, American.

Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::
whippoorwill /ˈwɪpʊˌwɪl/ n
  1. a nightjar, Caprimulgus vociferus, of North and Central America, having a dark plumage with white patches on the tail
Etymology: 18th Century: imitative of its cry
'whippoorwill' also found in these entries (note: many are not synonyms or translations):
chuck-will's-widow - nighthawk

Forum discussions with the word(s) "whippoorwill" in the title:


Look up "whippoorwill" at Merriam-Webster
Look up "whippoorwill" at dictionary.com
  • Go to Preferences page and choose from different actions for taps or mouse clicks.

In other languages: Spanish | French | Italian | Portuguese | Romanian | German | Dutch | Swedish | Russian | Polish | Czech | Greek | Turkish | Chinese | Japanese | Korean | Arabic

Advertisements
Advertisements
Report an inappropriate ad.
WordReference.com
WORD OF THE DAY
GET THE DAILY EMAIL!

Become a WordReference Supporter to view the site ad-free.