goshawk

American

[gos-hawk] / ˈgɒsˌhɔk /

noun

any of several powerful, short-winged hawks, as Accipiter gentilis, of Europe and America, formerly much used in falconry.

goshawk British

/ ˈɡɒsˌhɔːk /

noun

a large hawk, Accipiter gentilis, of Europe, Asia, and North America, having a bluish-grey back and wings and paler underparts: used in falconry

"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

Etymology

Origin of goshawk

before 1000; Middle English goshauk, Old English gōshafoc. See goose, hawk ¹

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

The talismanic vocabulary of falconry is threaded through this raw-nerved memoir by an experienced British falconer who dealt with the pain of losing a father by training a young goshawk called Mabel.

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 23, 2026

In her grief, she turns to a childhood interest, falconry, and buys a goshawk.

From Los Angeles Times • Dec. 12, 2025

Macdonald said seeing her memoir and her goshawk Mabel come to life for cinema audiences had left her "blown away".

From Barron's • Oct. 13, 2025

"The work we have been doing in the Research and Recovery of Endangered Species Group at UQ has already helped conservation efforts for Australia's night parrot, red goshawk and Australian masked owl," Professor Watson said.

From Science Daily • Nov. 29, 2023

Taking off her pack she opens it and gently lifts a screaming, fighting baby goshawk.

From "On the Far Side of the Mountain" by Jean Craighead George

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023