hawk moth

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noun

any of numerous moths of the family Sphingidae, noted for their very swift flight and ability to hover while sipping nectar from flowers.

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Also called sphingid, sphinx moth, hummingbird moth.

Origin of hawk moth

First recorded in 1775–85

Words nearby hawk moth

Hawkeye State, hawking, Hawking radiation, Hawkins, hawkish, hawk moth, hawknose, hawk owl, Hawks, hawks and doves, hawk's beard

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

How to use hawk moth in a sentence

When Donald Regan asked, “Did we object to Israelis sending HAWK ... missiles to Iran?”
How the Reagan White House Bungled Its Response to Iran-Contra Revelations|Malcolm Byrne|November 3, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The NSPG meeting defined the official line on the HAWK deal, but it did not address the funding diversion.
How the Reagan White House Bungled Its Response to Iran-Contra Revelations|Malcolm Byrne|November 3, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Monk said to Hawk, 'You're the great Coleman Hawkins, right?
The Stacks: John Coltrane’s Mighty Musical Quest|Nat Hentoff|October 18, 2014|DAILY BEAST
For me, I signed on to The Avengers 1-3 and then Hawk-Eye, in case they want to do a Hawk-Eye spin-off.
Jeremy Renner Opens Up About Marriage, His Problems with the Media, and the Future of Hawk-Eye|Marlow Stern|September 29, 2014|DAILY BEAST

Most Americans have viewed Africa through the lens of LiveAid or Black Hawk Down or the altruistic whims of Madonna.
How I Got Addicted to Africa (and Wrote a Thriller About It)|Todd Moss|September 9, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Since Henry Hawk could sit in a great elm far up the road and see himp.
The Tale of Grandfather Mole|Arthur Scott Bailey
Out of the darkening sky rang the twanging call of a night-hawk, and the cluck of a dozing hen sounded from the foliage overhead.
The Soldier of the Valley|Nelson Lloyd
The memory of the hawk-nosed, steel-eyed officer who rode from Kurnaul to Meerut in twenty-four hours smote him like a whip.
The Red Year|Louis Tracy
This one I brought home and kept in my aviary till March, 1868, when it was killed by a Hawk striking it through the wires.
Birds of Guernsey (1879)|Cecil Smith
The (p. 325) moth, whose egg produces these larv, is a large white miller of unusual size and prolificness.
Tobacco; Its History, Varieties, Culture, Manufacture and Commerce|E. R. Billings.

British Dictionary definitions for hawk moth

hawk moth

noun

any of various moths of the family Sphingidae, having long narrow wings and powerful flight, with the ability to hover over flowers when feeding from the nectarAlso called: sphinx moth, hummingbird moth See also death's-head moth

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