hawk

¹

[ hawk ]

noun

1. 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.
2. any of several similar, unrelated birds, as the nighthawk.
3. Informal. a person who preys on others, as a con artist.
4. Also called war hawk. Informal. a person, especially one in public office, who advocates war or a belligerent national attitude. Compare dove ¹( def 5 ).
5. any person who pursues an aggressive policy in business, government, etc.:

   The corporation is now run by a bunch of young hawks.

6. Economics. an official or advisor who advocates relatively high interest rates or other monetary policies aimed at keeping inflation low.

verb (used without object)

1. to fly, or hunt on the wing, like a hawk.
2. to hunt with hawks.

hawk

²

[ hawk ]

verb (used with object)

1. to peddle or offer for sale by calling aloud in public.
2. to advertise or offer for sale:

   to hawk soap on television.

3. to spread (rumors, news, etc.).

verb (used without object)

1. to carry wares about for sale; peddle.

hawk

³

[ hawk ]

verb (used without object)

1. to make an effort to raise phlegm from the throat; clear the throat noisily.

verb (used with object)

1. to raise by noisily clearing the throat:

   to hawk phlegm up.

noun

1. a noisy effort to clear the throat.

hawk

⁴

[ hawk ]

noun

1. a small, square board with a handle underneath it, used by plasterers and masons to hold plaster or mortar being applied.

Hawk

⁵

[ hawk ]

noun

, Military.

1. a medium-range, mobile U.S. surface-to-air missile system.

hawk

¹

/ hɔːk /

verb

1. to offer (goods) for sale, as in the street
2. troften foll byabout to spread (news, gossip, etc)

hawk

²

/ hɔːk /

noun

1. 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 tail accipitrine
2. any of various other falconiform birds, including the falcons but not the eagles or vultures
3. a person who advocates or supports war or warlike policies Compare dove 1
4. a ruthless or rapacious person
5. know a hawk from a handsaw
   to be able to judge things; be discerning

verb

1. intr to hunt with falcons, hawks, etc
2. intr (of falcons or hawks) to fly in quest of prey
3. to pursue or attack on the wing, as a hawk

hawk

³

/ hɔːk /

verb

1. intr to clear the throat noisily
2. tr to force (phlegm) up from the throat
3. a slang word for spit 1

noun

1. a noisy clearing of the throat

hawk

⁴

/ hɔːk /

noun

1. a small square board with a handle underneath, used for carrying wet plaster or mortar Also calledmortar board

Derived Forms

• ˈhawkˌlike, adjective

Other Words From

• hawk·like adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of hawk¹

First 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”

Origin of hawk²

First recorded in 1470–80; back formation from hawker ²

Origin of hawk³

First recorded in 1575–85; imitative

Origin of hawk⁴

First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English; perhaps variant of hache “battle-ax” ( hatchet )

Origin of hawk⁵

H(oming) A(ll the) W(ay) K(iller)

Word History and Origins

Origin of hawk¹

C16: back formation from hawker ¹

Origin of hawk²

from Shakespeare ( Hamlet II:2:375); handsaw is probably a corruption of dialect heronshaw heron

Origin of hawk³

C16: of imitative origin; see haw ²

Origin of hawk⁴

of unknown origin

Idioms and Phrases

see watch like a hawk .

Example Sentences

That’s despite efforts by Republicans and Democratic budget hawks to rein in spending, and improving economic news, which suggest Americans are better off than when they got the first two rounds of checks.

From Quartz

Such “mobbing flocks” harass bird predators like snakes and hawks and are a reliable cue of such animals’ presence.

From Science News

Now Sanders’s grasp of true agenda-setting power is being celebrated by fellow lawmakers on the hard left, who are encouraged to have an ally — not a deficit hawk — in a key position.

From Washington Post

Indeed, she could still disappear any day, as hawks hover overhead more often lately.

From Washington Post

Watch your sap like a hawk as you near the end of the boiling process.

From Popular-Science

When Donald Regan asked, “Did we object to Israelis sending HAWK ... missiles to Iran?”

From The Daily Beast

The NSPG meeting defined the official line on the HAWK deal, but it did not address the funding diversion.

From The Daily Beast

Monk said to Hawk, 'You're the great Coleman Hawkins, right?

From The 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.

From The Daily Beast

Most Americans have viewed Africa through the lens of LiveAid or Black Hawk Down or the altruistic whims of Madonna.

From The Daily Beast

Since Henry Hawk could sit in a great elm far up the road and see himp.

From Project Gutenberg

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.

From Project Gutenberg

The memory of the hawk-nosed, steel-eyed officer who rode from Kurnaul to Meerut in twenty-four hours smote him like a whip.

From Project Gutenberg

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.

From Project Gutenberg

A giant of a fellow with an eye like a hawk and a big black beard that seems, somehow, to suggest a blacksmith.

From Project Gutenberg