hank
1 Americannoun
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a skein, as of thread or yarn.
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a definite length of thread or yarn.
A hank of cotton yarn measures 840 yards.
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a coil, knot, or loop.
a hank of hair.
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Nautical. a ring, link, or shackle for securing the luff of a staysail or jib to its stay or the luff or head of a gaff sail to the mast or gaff.
verb (used with object)
noun
noun
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a loop, coil, or skein, as of rope, wool, or yarn
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nautical a ringlike fitting that can be opened to admit a stay for attaching the luff of a sail
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a unit of measurement of cloth, yarn, etc, such as a length of 840 yards (767 m) of cotton or 560 yards (512 m) of worsted yarn
verb
Other Word Forms
- unhanked adjective
Etymology
Origin of hank
1175–1225; Middle English < Old Norse hǫnk hank, coil, skein, clasp; akin to hang
Vocabulary lists containing hank
"The Ravine," Vocabulary from the short story
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Novel Study: Harriet Tubman, Chapters 1–10
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
"We will continue our plans to celebrate the memory of hank Aaron during this season’s All-Star festivities," Manfredi said.
From Fox News • Apr. 5, 2021
Some people looked at Daniel Jones and saw a nondescript kid with a square haircut, a hank of side-comb running across his forehead in a straight line, and decided he was terminally unremarkable.
From Washington Post • Sep. 26, 2019
Sunshine twisted a hank of long blonde hair around her hand.
From Salon • Mar. 2, 2019
Put hank in the big Apple where he belongs.
From New York Times • Apr. 17, 2016
He had light brown dreadlocks tied in a bunch with a hank of yarn, and intense blue eyes that shone like high beams.
From "Confessions of a Murder Suspect" by James Patterson
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
