night owl

noun

Synonyms of night owlnext
: a person who keeps late hours at night

Examples of night owl in a Sentence

a night owl whose spouse is more of an early bird
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Some of the bodily clocks that affect you every day are the sleep-wake, or circadian, rhythm and your chronotype, which is the body’s natural timing preference—often described as being either an early bird or a night owl. Masha Remskar, Scientific American, 29 Aug. 2026 Some of the bodily clocks that affect you every day are the sleep-wake, or circadian, rhythm and your chronotype, which is the body’s natural timing preference – often described as being either an early bird or a night owl. Masha Remskar, The Conversation, 26 Aug. 2026 Researchers have found that trying to force a morning person into a late-night brainstorming session is a recipe for disaster—the same goes for night owls being expected to be at their best first thing. Aytekin Tank, Forbes.com, 4 Aug. 2026 Even for a night owl like me, standard time is the better option. Kevinisha Walker, Los Angeles Times, 27 July 2026 See All Example Sentences for night owl

Word History

First Known Use

1594, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of night owl was in 1594

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Cite this Entry

“Night owl.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/night%20owl. Accessed 2 Sep. 2026.

Kids Definition

night owl

noun
: a person who usually stays up late at night
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