hank
noun
a skein, as of thread or yarn.
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hank
1 American
[hangk]
/ hæŋk /
noun
-
hanks
plural
-
a skein, as of thread or yarn.
-
a definite length of thread or yarn.
A hank of cotton yarn measures 840 yards.
-
a coil, knot, or loop.
a hank of hair.
-
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)
Hank
2
American
[hangk]
/ hæŋk /
noun
hank
British
/ hæŋk /
noun
-
a loop, coil, or skein, as of rope, wool, or yarn
-
nautical a ringlike fitting that can be opened to admit a stay for attaching the luff of a sail
-
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
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
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.
See Examples For:
And then Ozzy grabbed a hank of his shoulder-length brown-and-pink hair and shouted:
From Washington Post ● Apr. 28, 2023
"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
Sunshine twisted a hank of long blonde hair around her hand.
From Salon ● Mar. 2, 2019
The blacks and whites—the hank of Owen’s hair, the white of his sleek leather shoes—are crisp and clear while the other colors are leached if not downright absent.
From Slate ● Aug. 7, 2014
Only the hank of sleep-mussed hair poking through the blankets revealed his presence.
From "The Hidden Gallery" by Maryrose Wood
He asked if Hank and Marjorie had questions.
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
“Come on back, Hank, we need to talk,” Lou Ann says.
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
And then she let out a hearty laugh and struck a pose behind a Christmas tree to whose branches she had glued hanks of her hair.
From New York Times ● Jun. 5, 2013
"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
She hated being inside the house with the loom and the spinning wheel and the endless hanks of yam.
From "Harriet Tubman: Conductor on the Underground Railroad" by Ann Petry
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