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hawk

 - 16 dictionary results
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hawk

1  [hawk]
Use hawk in a Sentence
–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, esp. 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:
bef. 900; ME hauk(e), OE hafoc; c. OFris havek, OS habuc OHG habuh, ON haukr hawk, perh. Pol kobuz kind of falcon

Related forms:
hawklike, adjective
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hawk

2  [hawk]
–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 hawker 2

hawk

3  [hawk]
–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; imit.; see haw 1

hawk

4  [hawk]
–noun
a small, square board with a handle underneath it, used by plasterers and masons to hold plaster or mortar being applied.
Origin:
1350–1400; ME; perh. var. of hache battle-ax (see hatchet )

Hawk

  [hawk]
–noun Military.
a medium-range, mobile U.S. surface-to-air missile system.
Origin:
H(oming) A(ll the) W(ay) K(iller)
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
Cite This Source Link To hawk
hawk 1   (hôk)   
n.  

  1. Any of various birds of prey of the order Falconiformes and especially of the genera Accipiter and Buteo, characteristically having a short hooked bill and strong claws adapted for seizing.

  2. Any of various similar birds of prey.

  3. A person who preys on others; a shark.

    1. One who demonstrates an actively aggressive or combative attitude, as in an argument.

    2. A person who favors military force or action in order to carry out foreign policy.

intr.v.   hawked, hawk·ing, hawks

  1. To hunt with trained hawks.

  2. To swoop and strike in the manner of a hawk: "It was fun to watch the scattered snail kites . . . lifting and falling in the wind as they hawked across the shining grass and water" (Peter Matthiessen).


[Middle English hauk, from Old English hafoc; see kap- in Indo-European roots.]
hawk'ish adj., hawk'ish·ly adv., hawk'ish·ness n.
hawk 2   (hôk)   
v.   hawked, hawk·ing, hawks

v.   intr.
To peddle goods aggressively, especially by calling out.
v.   tr.
To peddle (goods) aggressively, especially by calling out.

[Middle English hauken, back-formation from hauker; see hawker.]
hawk 3   (hôk)   
v.   hawked, hawk·ing, hawks

v.   intr.
To clear or attempt to clear the throat by or as if by coughing up phlegm.
v.   tr.
To clear the throat of (phlegm).
n.  An audible effort to clear the throat by expelling phlegm.

[Imitative.]
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Slang Dictionary
hawk

  1. n.
    someone who supports a warlike U.S. defense policy. (Compare this with dove.) : The hawks want to raise taxes and buy tanks.
  2. in.
    to cough mightily; to cough something up. : The cold has had me hawking for a week.
  3. n.
    the hawk the cold winter wind. (Originally black. Always with the in this sense. See also Mr. Hawkins.) : Man, just feel the hawk cut through you!
Dictionary of American Slang and Colloquial Expressions by Richard A. Spears.Fourth Edition.
Copyright 2007. Published by McGraw Hill.
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Word Origin & History

hawk  (n.)
O.E. hafoc (W. Saxon), from P.Gmc. *khabukaz (cf. O.N. haukr, M.Du. havik, Ger. Habicht "hawk"), from a root meaning "to seize," fro PIE *gabh- (cf. Rus. kobec "a kind of falcon"). Hawkish "militaristic" first attested 1965; hawk in this sense is attested from 1962.

hawk  (v.)
1542 (hawker is attested from 1510), from M.L.G. höken "to peddle, carry on the back, squat," from P.Gmc. *khuk-. 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.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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Financial Dictionary

Hawk

An economic-policy advisor who has a negative view towards inflation and its effects on society.

Also referred to as "Inflation hawk."

Investopedia Commentary

Hawks carefully monitor and control economic inflation through interest rate adjustments and monetary-policy controls. In general, Hawkish investors prefer higher interest rates in order to maintain reduced inflation.

Related Links

All about Inflation Tutorial
The Federal Reserve (the Fed) Tutorial

See also: Alan Greenspan, Dove, Economics, Federal Reserve Board, Inflation, Monetary Policy

Investopedia.com. Copyright © 1999-2005 - All rights reserved. Owned and Operated by Investopedia Inc.
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Medical Dictionary

Main Entry: 1hawk
Pronunciation: 'hok
Function: transitive verb
: to raise by trying to clear the throat <hawk up phlegm> hawkintransitive senses
: to make a harsh coughing sound in clearing the throat

Main Entry: 2hawk
Function: noun
: an audible effort to force up phlegm from the throat
Merriam-Webster's Medical Dictionary, © 2002 Merriam-Webster, Inc.
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Bible Dictionary

Hawk

(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.)

Easton's 1897 Bible Dictionary
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Idioms & Phrases

hawk

see watch like a hawk.

The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer.
Copyright © 1997. Published by Houghton Mifflin.
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