Illustration of raven
: a large, glossy-black bird (Corvus corax) that is widely distributed in northern parts of the northern hemisphere but now rare in most areas of the eastern and central U.S. and that differs from the closely related common crow chiefly in its larger size and wedge-shaped tail and in having the feathers of the throat narrow and pointed resulting in a shaggy appearance
also
: any of various usually large and glossy black, corvine birds
: shiny and black like a raven's feathers
raven hair
ravened; ravening
ˈra-və-niŋ 
ˈrav-niŋ
1
: to devour greedily
2
: despoil
men … raven the earth, destroying its resources—
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Examples of raven in a Sentence
Adjective
had dark eyes and raven hair
Verb
the rat ravened the poisoned bait just as we had hoped
Recent Examples on the Web
Lorraine Berry, Los Angeles Times, 25 Nov. 2024
With their shaggy throat feathers and long, hefty beaks, ravens are noticeably larger than crows, which have shorter, slimmer bills.
—Ramon Padilla, USA TODAY, 23 Oct. 2024
India Espy-Jones, Essence, 25 Oct. 2024
Although Cabello spent the summer rocking blond tresses, her hair was a raven black hue.
—Julia Teti, WWD, 11 Sep. 2024
See all Example Sentences for raven 
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Noun
Panthers and pine cones, ravens, little deer, elephants and dragons offer their company for curious kids, while some of the difficult things about being a youngster are made easier by stories that offer comfort.
—Lorraine Berry, Los Angeles Times, 25 Nov. 2024
With their shaggy throat feathers and long, hefty beaks, ravens are noticeably larger than crows, which have shorter, slimmer bills.
—Ramon Padilla, USA TODAY, 23 Oct. 2024
Adjective
Her look, a raven black wig, curtained by a part, marked her potential end to the summer blonde look.
—India Espy-Jones, Essence, 25 Oct. 2024
Although Cabello spent the summer rocking blond tresses, her hair was a raven black hue.
—Julia Teti, WWD, 11 Sep. 2024
See all Example Sentences for raven
Dictionary Entries Near raven
Cite this Entry
“Raven.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/raven. Accessed 1 Dec. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
raven
1 of 2 noun
ra·ven
ˈrā-vən
: a bird of Europe, Asia, northern Africa, and America that has glossy black feathers and is larger than the related crow
raven
2 of 2 adjective
: shiny and black like a raven's feathers
raven hair
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