Meaning & use
vulture
Last updated
Meanings
nouncountable
A large bird that feeds mainly on the flesh of dead animals.
Grammar: Countable; plural is vultures.
Patterns
- a flock of vultures
- vultures circling
- vulture species
Vultures circled high above the desert, waiting for a carcass.
The vulture's bald head helps keep it clean when it feeds on dead animals.
nouncountabledisapproving
A person who exploits or profits from the misfortune or weakness of others.
Grammar: Countable; often used with a critical tone.
Patterns
- a vulture preying on someone
- vulture capitalist
- vulture fund
He was called a vulture for buying up struggling companies and selling them off.
The vultures in the financial industry prey on people who are desperate for loans.
Word forms
| plural | vultures |
|---|
Common combinations
- vulture fund
- A vulture fund buys debt from poor countries at a low price and demands full repayment.
- vulture capitalist
- The vulture capitalist took over the failing business and laid off most of the staff.
- circling like vultures
- The reporters were circling like vultures, waiting for a statement.
- a flock of vultures
- A flock of vultures gathered around the dead animal.
Synonyms and how they differ
Word family
- vulturine adjective
- Relating to or resembling a vulture; also greedy.
- vulturous adjective
- Greedy or predatory, like a vulture.
Commonly confused: vulture or eagle? vulture or hawk?
vulture vs eagle
Eagles are birds of prey that hunt live animals, while vultures mainly eat carrion.
vulture vs hawk
Hawks are also birds of prey that hunt; vultures are scavengers.
Practice
Which sentence uses 'vulture' in its figurative sense?
Choose one answer.
The figurative sense refers to a person who exploits others, as in option 1. The other options describe the literal bird.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “vulture”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.