hawk1

[hawk] /hɔk/
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 sharper.
4.
Also called war hawk. Informal. a person, especially one in public office, who advocates war or a belligerent national attitude.
Compare dove (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.
verb (used without object)
6.
to fly, or hunt on the wing, like a hawk.
7.
to hunt with hawks.
Origin
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 forms
hawklike, adjective

hawk2

[hawk] /hɔk/
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)
4.
to carry wares about for sale; peddle.
Origin
1470-80; back formation from hawker2

hawk3

[hawk] /hɔk/
verb (used without object)
1.
to make an effort to raise phlegm from the throat; clear the throat noisily.
verb (used with object)
2.
to raise by hawking:
to hawk phlegm up.
noun
3.
a noisy effort to clear the throat.
Origin
1575-85; imitative; see haw1

hawk4

[hawk] /hɔk/
noun
1.
a small, square board with a handle underneath it, used by plasterers and masons to hold plaster or mortar being applied.
Origin
1350-1400; Middle English; perhaps variant of hache battle-ax (see hatchet)

Hawk

[hawk] /hɔk/
noun, Military
1.
a medium-range, mobile U.S. surface-to-air missile system.
Origin
H(oming) A(ll the) W(ay) K(iller)
Examples from the web for hawk
  • Similarly, in common parlance, the opposite of a dove is a hawk or war hawk.
  • He sold them to newsboys in lots of a hundred to hawk in the street.
  • Warlike but diminutive hawk, which was supposed to embody the spirit of the tribe.
British Dictionary definitions for hawk

hawk1

/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 related adjective accipitrine
2.
(US & Canadian) 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 dove1 (sense 2)
4.
a ruthless or rapacious person
5.
know a hawk from a handsaw, to be able to judge things; be discerning
verb
6.
(intransitive) to hunt with falcons, hawks, etc
7.
(intransitive) (of falcons or hawks) to fly in quest of prey
8.
to pursue or attack on the wing, as a hawk
Derived Forms
hawklike, adjective
Word Origin
from Shakespeare (Hamlet II:2:375); handsaw is probably a corruption of dialect heronshaw heronOld English hafoc; related to Old Norse haukr, Old Frisian havek, Old High German habuh, Polish kobuz

hawk2

/hɔːk/
verb
1.
to offer (goods) for sale, as in the street
2.
(transitive) often foll by about. to spread (news, gossip, etc)
Word Origin
C16: back formation from hawker1

hawk3

/hɔːk/
verb
1.
(intransitive) to clear the throat noisily
2.
(transitive) to force (phlegm) up from the throat
3.
(Brit) a slang word for spit1
noun
4.
a noisy clearing of the throat
Word Origin
C16: of imitative origin; see haw²

hawk4

/hɔːk/
noun
1.
a small square board with a handle underneath, used for carrying wet plaster or mortar Also called mortar board
Word Origin
of unknown origin
Word Origin and History for hawk
n.

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.

v.

"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.

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

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

Slang definitions & phrases for hawk

hawk 1

verb

To clear one's throat; cough up and spit: let out of their cells to wash, hawk, stretch (1583+)


hawk 2

noun
  1. A person who advocates a strong and bellicose policy or action: Some were doves on Vietnam and hawks on Iran (1960s+)
  2. A person who attracts and procures young men and boys for homosexuals, esp older men: The police believe he was acting the role of a ''hawk,'' finding ''chickens'' (young boys) for older men (1970s+ Homosexuals)

hawk 3

noun

A imitation Indian haircut affected by punk rockers; mohawk: egg or soap it into the hawk (1980s+)


hawk

noun phrase

The cold winter wind: Well, looks like the hawk is getting ready to hit the scene and send temperatures down

[1900+ Black; origin unknown; perhaps fr the strong biting quality of such a wind]


hawk in the Bible

(Heb. netz, a word expressive of strong and rapid flight, and hence appropriate to the hawk). It is an unclean bird (Lev. 11:16; Deut. 14:15). It is common in Syria and surrounding countries. The Hebrew word includes various species of Falconidae, with special reference perhaps to the kestrel (Falco tinnunculus), the hobby (Hypotriorchis subbuteo), and the lesser kestrel (Tin, Cenchris). The kestrel remains all the year in Palestine, but some ten or twelve other species are all migrants from the south. Of those summer visitors to Palestine special mention may be made of the Falco sacer and the Falco lanarius. (See NIGHT-HAWK ØT0002729.)

Idioms and Phrases with hawk

hawk

see: watch like a hawk