harrier

[ har-ee-er ]

See synonyms for: harrier harriers on Thesaurus.com

noun

a person who or thing that harries.
any of several short-winged hawks of the genus Circus that hunt over meadows and marshes and prey on reptiles and small birds and mammals.

Harrier, Military. a one- or two-seat British-American fighter, both an attack and a reconnaissance aircraft, featuring a turbofan engine with a directable thrust that enables it to land and take off vertically.

Origin of harrier

First recorded in1550–60; harry + -er¹

Words Nearby harrier

Other definitions for harrier (2 of 2)

harrier²

[ har-ee-er ]

noun

one of a breed of medium-sized hounds, used, usually in packs, in hunting.
a cross-country runner.

Origin of harrier

1535–45; special use of harrier¹, by association with hare

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use harrier in a sentence

But to do VL, the engine thrust must be pointed straight downward, and the jet is twice the size of a harrier.
Why Can’t America’s Newest Stealth Jet Land Like It’s Supposed To? | Bill Sweetman | May 26, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST
Remember the harrier jump jet, the vertical takeoff and landing craft the British designed and Hollywood made famous?
Why Libyan War Is America's War | Stephen L. Carter | March 22, 2011 | THE DAILY BEAST
But Jack Metcalf had more natural taste for the cry of a hound or a harrier than for the squeak of his fiddle.
Yorkshire Oddities, Incidents and Strange Events | S. Baring-Gould
Edward Henry pursued lightly, for though he appreciated Mr. harrier, he also despised him.
The Regent | E. Arnold Bennett
Then it happened that the harrier Gonzalo thought most of, having bought him for a high price in England, misbehaved himself.
The Fourth Estate, vol. 2 | Armando Palacio Valds

Besides the crows and fish-hawks, a harrier would now and then come skimming close along the grass.
Roof and Meadow | Dallas Lore Sharp
But there is one bird that most certainly will be seen in the “harrier-country,” and that is the heron.
Birds in Flight | W. P. Pycraft

British Dictionary definitions for harrier (1 of 3)

harrier¹

/ (ˈhærɪə) /

noun

a person or thing that harries
any diurnal bird of prey of the genus Circus, having broad wings and long legs and tail and typically preying on small terrestrial animals: family Accipitridae (hawks, etc): See also marsh harrier, Montagu's harrier

British Dictionary definitions for harrier (2 of 3)

harrier²

/ (ˈhærɪə) /

noun

a smallish breed of hound used originally for hare-hunting
a cross-country runner

Origin of harrier

C16: from hare + -er 1; influenced by harrier 1

British Dictionary definitions for Harrier (3 of 3)

Harrier

/ (ˈhærɪə) /

noun

a British subsonic multipurpose military jet plane capable of vertical takeoff and landing by means of vectoring the engine thrust

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

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