Hawks

[ hawks ]

/ hɔks /

noun

Howard (Winchester),1896–1977, U.S. film director.

Nearby words

hawk

[ hawk ]

/ hɔk /

noun

any of numerous birds of prey of the family Accipitridae, having a short, hooked beak, broad wings, and curved talons, often seen circling or swooping at low altitudes.

any of several similar, unrelated birds, as the nighthawk.

Informal. a person who preys on others, as a sharper.

Also called war hawk. Informal. a person, especially one in public office, who advocates war or a belligerent national attitude.Compare dove¹(def 5).

any person who pursues an aggressive policy in business, government, etc.: The corporation is now run by a bunch of young hawks.

verb (used without object)

to fly, or hunt on the wing, like a hawk.

to hunt with hawks.

Origin of hawk

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 Polish kobuz kind of falcon

Related formshawk·like, adjective

hawk

[ 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

First recorded in 1470–80; back formation from hawker²

hawk

[ 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

1575–85; imitative; see haw¹

hawk

⁴

[ 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

⁴

1350–1400; Middle English; perhaps variant of hache battle-ax (see hatchet)

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. 2019

Examples from the Web for hawks

Once label execs heard “Hideaway,” they began circling it like hawks.
The Making of Kiesza: From Navy Sharpshooter to Beauty Queen to Pop Diva|Marlow Stern|October 20, 2014|DAILY BEAST
I emailed Robby Kalland, who previously covered the Hawks for three years with Score Atlanta, SB Nation, and Hawks.com.
Racism or Exit Strategy for Atlanta Hawks Owner Bruce Levenson?|Robert Silverman|September 7, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Instead Hollywood remains tentative, depending on women-friendly filmmakers like Cukor, Hawks, and now Feig to push the envelope.
'Ghostbusters' and the Slow Emancipation of Female-Driven Comedy|Teo Bugbee|August 15, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Hawks at one point advised him to seek psychological counseling to get a handle on his feelings for Bacall.
Bogie & Bacall: A Hollywood Romance for the Ages|Marlow Stern|August 13, 2014|DAILY BEAST

We live right by Bernal Hill, so we see a lot of hawks and other raptors up there.
Mississippi Hippos, Teddy Bears, and Other Strange Beasts|Scott Porch|July 25, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Milk is found curdled in the stomachs of all animals, old as well as young, and even of carnivorous ones, as of hawks.
Zoonomia, Vol. II|Erasmus Darwin
Whitlock also mentions, that he had a cast of them manned like hawks, which would come to hand.
The Eve of All-Hallows, v. 2 of 3|Matthew Weld Hartstonge
It was in this mood that he came upon the great dome-roofed cage containing the hawks and eagles.
Kings in Exile|Sir Charles George Douglas Roberts
Hawks make larger rings as a general rule, if, like these, they are good ones.
The Ornithology of Shakespeare|James Edmund Harting
Few besides the hawks and the crows would see it, if it were there.
The River and I|John G. Neihardt

British Dictionary definitions for hawks

Hawks

/ (hɔːks) /

noun

Howard (Winchester). 1896–1977, US film director. His films include Sergeant York (1941) and The Big Sleep (1946)

hawk

/ (hɔːk) /

noun

any of various diurnal birds of prey of the family Accipitridae, such as the goshawk and Cooper's hawk, typically having short rounded wings and a long tailRelated adjective: accipitrine

US and Canadian any of various other falconiform birds, including the falcons but not the eagles or vultures

a person who advocates or supports war or warlike policiesCompare dove 1 (def. 2)

a ruthless or rapacious person

know a hawk from a handsaw to be able to judge things; be discerning

verb

(intr) to hunt with falcons, hawks, etc

(intr) (of falcons or hawks) to fly in quest of prey

to pursue or attack on the wing, as a hawk

Derived Formshawklike, adjective

Word 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

hawk

/ (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

hawk

/ (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

hawk

⁴

/ (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 Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for hawks

hawk

v.2

"to hunt with a hawk," mid-14c., from hawk (n.).

hawk

v.3

"to clear one's throat," 1580s, imitative.

hawk

c.1300, hauk, earlier havek (c.1200), from Old English hafoc (W. Saxon), heafuc (Mercian), heafoc, from Proto-Germanic *habukaz (cf. Old Norse haukr, Old Saxon habuc, Middle Dutch havik, Old High German habuh, German Habicht "hawk"), from a root meaning "to seize," from PIE *kap- "to grasp" (cf. Russian kobec "a kind of falcon;" see capable). Transferred sense of "militarist" attested from 1962.

hawk

v.1

"to sell in the open, peddle," late 15c., back-formation from hawker "itinerant vendor" (c.1400), from Middle Low German höken "to peddle, carry on the back, squat," from Proto-Germanic *huk-. Related: Hawked; hawking. Despite the etymological connection with stooping under a burden on one's back, a hawker is technically distinguished from a peddler by use of a horse and cart or a van.

Idioms and Phrases with hawks

hawk

see watch like a hawk.

Hawks

noun

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