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• hank
  hank

  noun

  a skein, as of thread or yarn.
• Hank
  Hank

  noun

  a male given name, form of Henry.

hank

¹ American  

[hangk] / hæŋk /

noun

hanks plural

1. a skein, as of thread or yarn.

2. a definite length of thread or yarn.

   A hank of cotton yarn measures 840 yards.

3. a coil, knot, or loop.

   a hank of hair.

4. 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.

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verb (used with object)

1. Nautical. to fasten (a sail) by means of hanks.

Hank ² American  

[hangk] / hæŋk /

noun

1. a male given name, form of Henry.

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hank British  

/ hæŋk /

noun

1. a loop, coil, or skein, as of rope, wool, or yarn

2. nautical a ringlike fitting that can be opened to admit a stay for attaching the luff of a sail

3. 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

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verb

1. (tr) nautical to attach (a sail) to a stay by hanks

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• unhanked
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• hanks
  plural

Etymology

Origin of hank

1175–1225; Middle English < Old Norse hǫnk hank, coil, skein, clasp; akin to hang

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

hank Hank hanks

"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

Then pivoting that side hank of hair back over his bald center lane and twisting and flipping it a bit so it jutted out in front just right.

From New York Times ● Oct. 23, 2018

By the time he’s done, the legendary Viennese doktor has been reduced to not much more than a rag, a bone, and a hank of hair.

From Slate ● Sep. 5, 2017

My mother twisted another thick hank of hair into a scrap of cotton and sighed.

From Salon ● Aug. 14, 2016

Mary looked up quickly from the hank of yarn she was winding into a ball.

From "Carry On, Mr. Bowditch" by Jean Lee Latham

When Covid hit, Hank and Marjorie became increasingly isolated.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 4, 2026

It’s a rare case of a revival that actually works, as Hank, Peggy and Bobby Hill have all grown older but not necessarily wiser.

From MarketWatch ● Jun. 30, 2026

Alumni lounge in camping chairs around dozens of chatty college dads who look like Hank Schrader from Breaking Bad.

From Slate ● Jun. 24, 2026

But Aaron is surprised when Hank says that he’s just interested in talking for a while, and asks to record their conversation.

From Salon ● Jun. 15, 2026

Then Hank would answer: “I know, I feel the same way.”

From "The Tenth Mistake of Hank Hooperman" by Gennifer Choldenko

Either way, the onetime roommates and bandmates pioneered a discomfiting broken-doll aesthetic of smudged eyeliner, smeared lipstick and plastic barrettes clipped to hanks of bleached-out hair.

From Salon ● Jun. 12, 2026

Krymov is 67, with hanks of pale hair sweeping across a broad forehead.

From Washington Post ● Apr. 1, 2022

"This is just who I am!" she says, those wide eyes getting even wider, hanks of blond hair bobbing atop her head like leaves on a palm tree.

From The Guardian ● Aug. 21, 2011

The paint seems to metamorphose into different things, including hanks of hair, statue-topped pedestals and piles of excrement.

From New York Times ● Mar. 25, 2011

The wool was a fine dark chocolate brown and bound in thick hanks.

From "The Evolution of Calpurnia Tate" by Jacqueline Kelly

Related Words

• curve
• flourish