nighthawk

[ nahyt-hawk ]
See synonyms for: nighthawknighthawks on Thesaurus.com

noun
  1. any of several longwinged, American goatsuckers of the genus Chordeiles, related to the whippoorwill, especially C. minor, having variegated black, white, and buff plumage.

  2. the European goatsucker or nightjar, Caprimulgus europaeus.

  1. Informal. a person who is habitually up or moving about late at night; night owl.

Origin of nighthawk

1
First recorded in 1605–15; night + hawk1

Words Nearby nighthawk

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use nighthawk in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for nighthawk

nighthawk

/ (ˈnaɪtˌhɔːk) /


noun
  1. Also called: bullbat, mosquito hawk any American nightjar of the genus Chordeiles and related genera, having a dark plumage and, in the male, white patches on the wings and tail

  2. informal another name for night owl

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012