hawk
Pluralhawks
Pluralhawks
- 1A bird with a hooked beak and sharp claws that hunts small animals during the day.
Like an eagle, but smaller: a strong bird that hunts from the sky.
A hawk circled high above the field, watching for mice.
We saw two hawks chasing a smaller bird near the cliff.
Note
- 2To sell things by carrying them from place to place, or by calling out to people in the street.
Like someone shouting 'Fresh fish here!' while walking around selling it.
He hawks cheap umbrellas outside the train station.
Vendors hawk roasted nuts along the busy boardwalk.
UsageSay hawk things to people: hawk souvenirs to tourists.
Similarpeddle, sell, vend, tout, flog
Oppositebuy
Note
- 3Someone who supports using force or war to solve political problems.
Like someone who always wants to fight instead of talk things out.
The senator is a hawk who wants more soldiers sent overseas.
Hawks in the government pushed for a quick military response.
UsageThe opposite is a dove.
Similarwarmonger
Oppositedove
Note
- 4A person who wants tough money rules, like higher interest rates to keep prices from rising, or big cuts in government spending.
The new head of the bank is a hawk who wants to raise interest rates to stop prices from climbing.
Budget hawks in the city council voted against the new stadium.
UsageOften in deficit hawk or inflation hawk.
Oppositedove
Note
- 5To chase and catch prey while flying, such as insects in the air.
Like a bird dropping fast from the sky to grab its food.
Swallows hawked for flies over the pond all evening.
Swallows hawk over the river at dusk, snapping at insects.
Similarhunt
Note
Less common meanings
- 6
- 7
- 8To hunt other birds or small animals using a trained hawk.
Like sending a trained dog to fetch, but using a bird to catch dinner.
Nobles once hawked partridges across these open fields.
They hawk rabbits along the hedgerows each fall.
Note
- 9A cold, sharp wind that bites at your skin, especially in winter.
Like a freezing wind so sharp it feels like it's biting your face.
Button up your coat, because the hawk is out today.
That hawk cut right through my jacket on the way to school.
Note
- 10A flat board with a handle underneath, used to hold plaster while you work.
Like a small tray you hold in one hand to keep your supplies ready.
The plasterer scooped some mix onto his hawk.
She balanced the heavy hawk in one hand and the trowel in the other.
Similarmortarboard
Note
- 11In a game or deal, a player who acts only for themselves and won't cooperate.
- 12A type of dragonfly found only in Australia.
Showing meanings only.
Practice
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Origins
From Old English hafoc, meaning a hawk, going back to old Germanic words for the bird.
Checked 1 Nov 2026 · 3 facts
- Hawk descends from Old English hafoc. en.wiktionary.org
- Old English hafoc means hawk. en.wiktionary.org
- The word has earlier Germanic ancestry as a name for the bird. en.wiktionary.org
The origin is uncertain. It may come from a Middle English word for battle-axe, or from another use of the bird word.
Checked 1 Nov 2026 · 3 facts
- The origin of the tool name is uncertain. en.wiktionary.org
- It may derive from a Middle English word meaning battle-axe. en.wiktionary.org
- It may derive from another use of the bird word. en.wiktionary.org
A back-formation from the word hawker.
Checked 1 Nov 2026 · 1 fact
- Hawk, meaning to sell or peddle, is a back-formation from hawker. en.wiktionary.org
Probably an imitation of the sound, like hack or hock for a cough.
Checked 1 Nov 2026 · 3 facts
- Hawk in the coughing sense probably originated as an imitation of the sound, comparable to hack and hock. en.wiktionary.org
- Hack can denote a cough. en.wiktionary.org
- Hock can denote a cough. en.wiktionary.org