hawk
1[ hawk ]
/ hɔk /
noun
verb (used without object)
to fly, or hunt on the wing, like a hawk.
to hunt with hawks.
QUIZZES
DISCOVER THE INFLUENCE OF PORTUGUESE ON ENGLISH VIA THIS QUIZ!
We’ve gathered some interesting words donated to English from Portuguese … as well as some that just don’t translate at all. Do you know what they mean?
Question 1 of 11
Which of the following animal names traces its immediate origin to Portuguese?
Origin of hawk
1First recorded before 900; Middle English hauk(e), Old English hafoc; cognate with Old Frisian havek, Old Saxon habuc, Old High German habuh, Old Norse haukr “hawk” perhaps
OTHER WORDS FROM hawk
hawklike, adjectiveWords nearby hawk
Definition for hawk (2 of 5)
hawk2
[ hawk ]
/ hɔk /
verb (used with object)
to peddle or offer for sale by calling aloud in public.
to advertise or offer for sale: to hawk soap on television.
to spread (rumors, news, etc.).
verb (used without object)
to carry wares about for sale; peddle.
Origin of hawk
2First recorded in 1470–80; back formation from hawker2
Definition for hawk (3 of 5)
hawk3
[ hawk ]
/ hɔk /
verb (used without object)
to make an effort to raise phlegm from the throat; clear the throat noisily.
verb (used with object)
to raise by noisily clearing the throat: to hawk phlegm up.
noun
a noisy effort to clear the throat.
Origin of hawk
3First recorded in 1575–85; imitative
Definition for hawk (4 of 5)
hawk4
[ hawk ]
/ hɔk /
noun
a small, square board with a handle underneath it, used by plasterers and masons to hold plaster or mortar being applied.
Origin of hawk
4First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English; perhaps variant of hache “battle-ax” (see hatchet)
Definition for hawk (5 of 5)
Hawk
[ hawk ]
/ hɔk /
noun Military.
a medium-range, mobile U.S. surface-to-air missile system.
Origin of Hawk
H(oming)A(ll the)W(ay)K(iller)
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2021
Example sentences from the Web for hawk
British Dictionary definitions for hawk (1 of 4)
hawk1
/ (hɔːk) /
noun
verb
Derived forms of hawk
hawklike, adjectiveWord Origin for hawk
from Shakespeare (Hamlet II:2:375); handsaw is probably a corruption of dialect heronshaw heron Old English hafoc; related to Old Norse haukr, Old Frisian havek, Old High German habuh, Polish kobuz
British Dictionary definitions for hawk (2 of 4)
hawk2
/ (hɔːk) /
verb
to offer (goods) for sale, as in the street
(tr often foll by about) to spread (news, gossip, etc)
Word Origin for hawk
C16: back formation from hawker 1
British Dictionary definitions for hawk (3 of 4)
hawk3
/ (hɔːk) /
verb
(intr) to clear the throat noisily
(tr) to force (phlegm) up from the throat
British a slang word for spit 1
noun
a noisy clearing of the throat
Word Origin for hawk
C16: of imitative origin; see haw ²
British Dictionary definitions for hawk (4 of 4)
hawk4
/ (hɔːk) /
noun
a small square board with a handle underneath, used for carrying wet plaster or mortarAlso called: mortar board
Word Origin for hawk
of unknown origin
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
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Idioms and Phrases with hawk
hawk
see watch like a hawk.
The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.