hawk
1any of numerous birds of prey of the family Accipitridae, having a short, hooked beak, broad wings, and curved talons, often seen circling or swooping at low altitudes.
any of several similar, unrelated birds, as the nighthawk.
Informal. a person who preys on others, as a con artist.
Also called war hawk. Informal. a person, especially one in public office, who advocates war or a belligerent national attitude.: Compare dove1 (def. 5).
any person who pursues an aggressive policy in business, government, etc.: The corporation is now run by a bunch of young hawks.
Economics. an official or advisor who advocates relatively high interest rates or other monetary policies aimed at keeping inflation low.
to fly, or hunt on the wing, like a hawk.
to hunt with hawks.
Origin of hawk
1Other words from hawk
- hawk·like, adjective
Words Nearby hawk
Other definitions for hawk (2 of 5)
to peddle or offer for sale by calling aloud in public.
to advertise or offer for sale: to hawk soap on television.
to spread (rumors, news, etc.).
to carry wares about for sale; peddle.
Origin of hawk
2Other definitions for hawk (3 of 5)
to make an effort to raise phlegm from the throat; clear the throat noisily.
to raise by noisily clearing the throat: to hawk phlegm up.
a noisy effort to clear the throat.
Origin of hawk
3Other definitions for hawk (4 of 5)
a small, square board with a handle underneath it, used by plasterers and masons to hold plaster or mortar being applied.
Origin of hawk
4Other definitions for Hawk (5 of 5)
a medium-range, mobile U.S. surface-to-air missile system.
Origin of Hawk
5Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024
How to use hawk in a sentence
That’s despite efforts by Republicans and Democratic budget hawks to rein in spending, and improving economic news, which suggest Americans are better off than when they got the first two rounds of checks.
The economic rationale for whether you deserve a stimulus check | Roya Wolverson | February 26, 2021 | QuartzSuch “mobbing flocks” harass bird predators like snakes and hawks and are a reliable cue of such animals’ presence.
A single male lyrebird can mimic the sound of an entire flock | Jake Buehler | February 25, 2021 | Science NewsNow Sanders’s grasp of true agenda-setting power is being celebrated by fellow lawmakers on the hard left, who are encouraged to have an ally — not a deficit hawk — in a key position.
Gavel in hand, Bernie Sanders lays out an unabashedly liberal economic agenda | Mike DeBonis | February 19, 2021 | Washington PostIndeed, she could still disappear any day, as hawks hover overhead more often lately.
How a sickly squirrel offered me unexpected comfort | Pam Spritzer | February 8, 2021 | Washington PostWatch your sap like a hawk as you near the end of the boiling process.
Make your own maple syrup without harming the trees | By Tim MacWelch/Outdoor Life | February 7, 2021 | Popular-Science
When Donald Regan asked, “Did we object to Israelis sending hawk ... missiles to Iran?”
How the Reagan White House Bungled Its Response to Iran-Contra Revelations | Malcolm Byrne | November 3, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTThe NSPG meeting defined the official line on the hawk deal, but it did not address the funding diversion.
How the Reagan White House Bungled Its Response to Iran-Contra Revelations | Malcolm Byrne | November 3, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTMonk said to hawk, 'You're the great Coleman Hawkins, right?
For me, I signed on to The Avengers 1-3 and then hawk-Eye, in case they want to do a hawk-Eye spin-off.
Jeremy Renner Opens Up About Marriage, His Problems with the Media, and the Future of Hawk-Eye | Marlow Stern | September 29, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTMost Americans have viewed Africa through the lens of LiveAid or Black hawk Down or the altruistic whims of Madonna.
How I Got Addicted to Africa (and Wrote a Thriller About It) | Todd Moss | September 9, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTSince Henry hawk could sit in a great elm far up the road and see himp.
The Tale of Grandfather Mole | Arthur Scott BaileyOut of the darkening sky rang the twanging call of a night-hawk, and the cluck of a dozing hen sounded from the foliage overhead.
The Soldier of the Valley | Nelson LloydThe memory of the hawk-nosed, steel-eyed officer who rode from Kurnaul to Meerut in twenty-four hours smote him like a whip.
The Red Year | Louis TracyThis one I brought home and kept in my aviary till March, 1868, when it was killed by a hawk striking it through the wires.
Birds of Guernsey (1879) | Cecil SmithA giant of a fellow with an eye like a hawk and a big black beard that seems, somehow, to suggest a blacksmith.
The Red Year | Louis Tracy
British Dictionary definitions for hawk (1 of 4)
/ (hɔːk) /
any of various diurnal birds of prey of the family Accipitridae, such as the goshawk and Cooper's hawk, typically having short rounded wings and a long tail: Related adjective: accipitrine
US and Canadian any of various other falconiform birds, including the falcons but not the eagles or vultures
a person who advocates or supports war or warlike policies: Compare dove 1 (def. 2)
a ruthless or rapacious person
know a hawk from a handsaw to be able to judge things; be discerning
(intr) to hunt with falcons, hawks, etc
(intr) (of falcons or hawks) to fly in quest of prey
to pursue or attack on the wing, as a hawk
Origin of hawk
1Derived forms of hawk
- hawklike, adjective
British Dictionary definitions for hawk (2 of 4)
/ (hɔːk) /
to offer (goods) for sale, as in the street
(tr often foll by about) to spread (news, gossip, etc)
Origin of hawk
2British Dictionary definitions for hawk (3 of 4)
/ (hɔːk) /
(intr) to clear the throat noisily
(tr) to force (phlegm) up from the throat
British a slang word for spit 1
a noisy clearing of the throat
Origin of hawk
3British Dictionary definitions for hawk (4 of 4)
/ (hɔːk) /
a small square board with a handle underneath, used for carrying wet plaster or mortar: Also called: mortar board
Origin of hawk
4Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Other Idioms and Phrases with hawk
see watch like a hawk.
The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
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