hark

[ hahrk ]

verb (used without object)

1. to listen attentively; hearken.

verb (used with object)

1. Archaic. to listen to; hear.

noun

1. a hunter's shout to hounds, as to encourage them in following the scent.

verb phrase

1. 1. (of hounds) to return along the course in order to regain a lost scent.
   2. to return to a previous subject or point; revert:

      He kept harking back to his early days in vaudeville.

hark

/ hɑːk /

verb

1. intr; usually imperative to listen; pay attention

Other Words From

• un·harked adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of hark¹

1175–1225; Middle English herken, earlier herkien, Old English *heorcian; cognate with Old Frisian herkia, harkia; akin to Middle Dutch harken, Middle High German, German horchen. See hearken, hear

Word History and Origins

Origin of hark¹

Old English heorcnian to hearken ; related to Old Frisian herkia, Old High German hōrechen; see hear

Example Sentences

And he expects the incoming administration will develop new regulatory changes that hark back to Trump’s first term.

From Los Angeles Times

These hark back to the 17 Protestant martyrs who were burnt in Lewes during the reign of Bloody Mary, half a century before Guy Fawkes attempted to blow up the Houses of Parliament.

From BBC

Hanging over their vigil is the question of whether Joan will return after a 20-year absence that harks back to Luther’s visit.

From Los Angeles Times

But before that, the Disney Channel was bumbling along since its launch in 1983, mostly broadcasting kids cartoons that harked back to the company’s animation renaissance in the early 1990s.

From Los Angeles Times

Aguilar also became a huge concert attraction across the Americas with a gentlemanly vocal style that harks back to 20th century Mexico — an intoxicating blend of jubilant ranchera and misty bolero pathos.

From Los Angeles Times