hawk Hear it!

hawk1 definition

hawk (hôk)

noun

    1. any of various accipitrine birds having short, rounded wings and a long tail and legs, as Cooper's hawk, goshawk, and the harriers
    2. loosely any of various other birds of prey, as falcons and ospreys
  2. an advocate of all-out war or of measures in international affairs designed to provoke or escalate open hostilities
  3. a person regarded as having the preying or grasping nature of a hawk; cheater; swindler

Etymology: ME hauk < OE hafoc, akin to Ger habicht, Pol kobuz, falcon

intransitive verb

  1. to hunt birds or other small game with the help of falcons or other hawks
  2. to attack by or as by swooping and striking

transitive verb

to attack or prey on as a hawk does

Related Forms:

hawk2 definition

hawk (hôk)

transitive verb

  1. to advertise or peddle (goods) in the streets by shouting
  2. to advertise or sell: a mildly contemptuous term

Etymology: < hawker

hawk3 definition

hawk (hôk)

intransitive verb

to clear the throat audibly

Etymology: echoic

transitive verb

to bring up (phlegm) by coughing

noun

an audible clearing of the throat
hawk4 definition

hawk (hôk)

noun

a flat, square piece of wood or metal with a handle underneath, for carrying mortar or plaster

Etymology: prob. fig. use of hawk

Webster's New World College Dictionary Copyright © 2009 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Cleveland, Ohio.
Used by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

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