barred owln. A large North American owl (Strix varia) having barred, brownish plumage across the breast, a streaked belly, and a strident, hooting cry.American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.barred? owl? n. a large owl, Strix varia, of E North America, having its breast barred and abdomen streaked with brown. [1805?15, Amer.] Random House Kernerman Webster’s College Dictionary, © 2010 K Dictionaries Ltd. Copyright 2005, 1997, 1991 by Random House, Inc. All rights reserved.