nighthawk

[nahyt-hawk]

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR nighthawk ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

any of several longwinged, American goatsuckers of the genus Chordeiles, related to the whippoorwill, especially C. minor, having variegated black, white, and buff plumage.

the European goatsucker or nightjar, Caprimulgus europaeus.

Informal. a person who is habitually up or moving about late at night; night owl.

Origin of nighthawk

First recorded in 1605–15; night + hawk¹

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Related Words for nighthawk

libertine, rake, waster, lecher, wastrel, reprobate, prodigal, degenerate, operator, good-for-nothing, debauchee, swinger, nighthawk, abandoned, corrupt, debauched, depraved, dissipated, evil, fast

Examples from the Web for nighthawk

Historical Examples of nighthawk

But there was nothing he could do now except to agree to Mr. Nighthawk's proposal.
The Tale of Kiddie Katydid
Arthur Scott Bailey
Mr. Nighthawk whined, as he looked hungrily at Kiddie Katydid.
The Tale of Kiddie Katydid
Arthur Scott Bailey
"I hadn't intended to do any leaping to-night," he told Mr. Nighthawk.
The Tale of Kiddie Katydid
Arthur Scott Bailey
And it drove every thought except one out of Mr. Nighthawk's head.
The Tale of Kiddie Katydid
Arthur Scott Bailey
But it was Mr. Nighthawk, making that odd, booming sound of his.
The Tale of Chirpy Cricket
Arthur Scott Bailey

British Dictionary definitions for nighthawk

nighthawk

noun

Also called: bullbat, mosquito hawk any American nightjar of the genus Chordeiles and related genera, having a dark plumage and, in the male, white patches on the wings and tail

informal another name for night owl

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