n.
- 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.
- Any of various similar birds of prey.
- A person who preys on others; a shark.
- One who demonstrates an actively aggressive or combative attitude, as in an argument.
- A person who favors military force or action in order to carry out foreign policy.
- To hunt with trained hawks.
- 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.]
hawkish hawk'ish adj.hawkishly hawk'ish·ly adv.
hawkishness hawk'ish·ness n.
hawk2 (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.]
hawk3 (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 © 2007, 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Updated in 2009. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
