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Definition of whippoorwill

whippoorwill

/ˈwɪp.ɚ.wɪl/
whip · poor · will
Plural:whippoorwills
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whippoorwill Lexical Profile

whippoorwill Game Scores & Validity

• noun

1

North American A medium-sized, highly camouflaged nocturnal nightjar native to the forests of eastern North America, renowned for its distinctive and repetitive trisyllabic song.

Example

"As dusk settled over the Appalachian woods, the haunting, rhythmic call of a lone whippoorwill echoed through the trees."

Synonyms
View all synonyms for whippoorwill

• Nearby Words

whippersnapper
whippet
whipping
whippoorwill
whippy
whipround
whiptail

Word Origin & Etymology

Early 18th century (American English): highly imitative compound word coined directly from the bird's distinctive, rhythmic, trisyllabic nocturnal call.

Usage Trend

Historical frequency of usage in published text.

180019102020
Data source: Google Books Ngram Viewer

Cite this Entry

Wordmom. (2026). Definition of Whippoorwill. In Wordmom Dictionary. Retrieved Nov 5, 2026, from https://wordmom.com/dictionary/whippoorwill
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