hawk

¹ American  

[hawk] / hɔk /

noun

1. any 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.

2. any of several similar, unrelated birds, as the nighthawk.

3. Informal. a person who preys on others, as a con artist.

4. Also called war hawk.  Informal. a person, especially one in public office, who advocates war or a belligerent national attitude.

5. any person who pursues an aggressive policy in business, government, etc..

   The corporation is now run by a bunch of young hawks.

6. Economics. an official or advisor who advocates relatively high interest rates or other monetary policies aimed at keeping inflation low.

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verb (used without object)

1. to fly, or hunt on the wing, like a hawk.

2. to hunt with hawks.

hawk ² American  

[hawk] / hɔk /

verb (used with object)

1. to peddle or offer for sale by calling aloud in public.

2. to advertise or offer for sale.

   to hawk soap on television.

3. to spread (rumors, news, etc.).

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verb (used without object)

1. to carry wares about for sale; peddle.

hawk ³ American  

[hawk] / hɔk /

verb (used without object)

1. to make an effort to raise phlegm from the throat; clear the throat noisily.

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verb (used with object)

1. to raise by noisily clearing the throat.

   to hawk phlegm up.

noun

1. a noisy effort to clear the throat.

hawk ⁴ American  

[hawk] / hɔk /

noun

1. a small, square board with a handle underneath it, used by plasterers and masons to hold plaster or mortar being applied.

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Hawk ⁵ American  

[hawk] / hɔk /

noun

Military.

1. a medium-range, mobile U.S. surface-to-air missile system.

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hawk ¹ British  

/ hɔːk /

noun

1. 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

2. any of various other falconiform birds, including the falcons but not the eagles or vultures

3. a person who advocates or supports war or warlike policies Compare dove 1

4. a ruthless or rapacious person

5. to be able to judge things; be discerning

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verb

1. (intr) to hunt with falcons, hawks, etc

2. (intr) (of falcons or hawks) to fly in quest of prey

3. to pursue or attack on the wing, as a hawk

hawk ² British  

/ hɔːk /

verb

1. (intr) to clear the throat noisily

2. (tr) to force (phlegm) up from the throat

3. a slang word for spit 1

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noun

1. a noisy clearing of the throat

hawk ³ British  

/ hɔːk /

verb

1. to offer (goods) for sale, as in the street

2. to spread (news, gossip, etc)

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hawk ⁴ British  

/ hɔːk /

noun

1. Also called: mortar board.  a small square board with a handle underneath, used for carrying wet plaster or mortar

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hawk Idioms  

1. see watch like a hawk.

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Other Word Forms

• hawklike adjective

Etymology

Origin of hawk¹

First recorded before 900; Middle English hauk(e), Old English hafoc; cognate with Old Frisian havek, Old Saxon habuc, Old High German habuh, Old Norse haukr “hawk”

Origin of hawk²

First recorded in 1470–80; back formation from hawker ²

Origin of hawk³

First recorded in 1575–85; imitative

Origin of hawk⁴

First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English; perhaps variant of hache “battle-ax” ( hatchet )

Origin of Hawk⁵

H(oming) A(ll the) W(ay) K(iller)

Example Sentences

Things will be stressful enough in the wake of her passing, and on top of that you will have to watch your stepsister like a hawk.

From MarketWatch

Takaichi, 64, was seen as a China hawk before becoming Japan's first woman prime minister in October.

From Barron's

And the way she perches over my brother reminds me of a hawk about to swoop in on its prey.

From Literature

In response, interventionist hawks hit back with parody songs like “I Didn’t Raise My Boy to Be a Coward,” according to James Sullivan’s book “Which Side Are You On?”

From The Wall Street Journal

Warsh built his reputation as a hawk by warning for years that easy money would fuel inflation.

From The Wall Street Journal