harrier

[ har-ee-er ]

/ ˈhær i ər /

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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.

(initial capital letter)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.

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Origin of harrier

First recorded in 1550–60; harry + -er¹

Words nearby harrier

harquebus, harquebusier, Harrer, harridan, harried, harrier, Harriet, Harriman, Harrington, Harris, Harrisburg

Other definitions for harrier (2 of 2)

harrier²

[ har-ee-er ]

/ ˈhær i ər /

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. 2022

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|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|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

Word Origin for 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

harrier

Origin of harrier

Words nearby harrier

Other definitions for harrier (2 of 2)

Origin of harrier

Words related to harrier

How to use harrier in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for harrier (1 of 3)

British Dictionary definitions for harrier (2 of 3)

Word Origin for harrier

British Dictionary definitions for harrier (3 of 3)