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Showing results for harrier. Search instead for Harrier+hawk.
Synonyms

harrier

1 American  
[har-ee-er] / ˈhær i ər /

noun

  1. a person who or thing that harries.

  2. 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.

  3. Military. Harrier, 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.

harrier 2 American  
[har-ee-er] / ˈhær i ər /

noun

  1. one of a breed of medium-sized hounds, used, usually in packs, in hunting.

  2. a cross-country runner.

harrier 1 British  
/ ˈhærɪə /

noun

  1. a person or thing that harries

  2. 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

"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
harrier 2 British  
/ ˈhærɪə /

noun

  1. a smallish breed of hound used originally for hare-hunting

  2. a cross-country runner

"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
Harrier 3 British  
/ ˈhærɪə /

noun

  1. 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

Etymology

Origin of harrier1

First recorded in 1550–60; harry + -er 1

Origin of harrier2

1535–45; special use of harrier 1, by association with hare

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.

For 30 minutes we watch a northern harrier on the hunt, dive-bombing blue-winged and cinnamon teal, though he always comes up empty.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 7, 2026

Aside from curlew, they pose a threat to a number of native species including the Orkney vole, short-eared owl and hen harrier.

From BBC • Apr. 21, 2025

“The harrier has landed,” exclaimed a volunteer on a Sunday bird walk at the Rio Grande Nature Center State Park.

From Washington Post • Dec. 11, 2019

Emmy the harrier is crazy for ice cubes.

From Seattle Times • Feb. 13, 2018

I found the harrier was not much damaged; a few feathers were bitten out and a little of the skin was broken, that was all.

From The Pilots of Pomona by Leighton, Robert

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.