hawk

/hɔk/

/hɔk/

Other forms: hawks; hawking; hawked

A hawk is a relatively large bird that hunts small animals. Hawks tend to surprise their prey, swooping down on it from above.

Among birds of prey, hawks are medium-sized, with long tails and curved wings. Hawks use their high intelligence and sharp eyes for hunting smaller birds and mammals. You can also use the word hawk to mean a pro-war politician or political advisor, a term that's often contrasted with "dove," someone who almost always opposes war. This metaphorical hawk has been around since the 1960s.

Definitions of hawk

1. noun

   diurnal bird of prey typically having short rounded wings and a long tail
   types:

   eyas

   an unfledged or nestling hawk

   tercel, tercelet, tiercel

   male hawk especially male peregrine or gyrfalcon

   Accipiter gentilis, goshawk

   large hawk of Eurasia and North America used in falconry

   Accipiter nisus, sparrow hawk

   small hawk of Eurasia and northern Africa

   Accipiter cooperii, Cooper's hawk, blue darter

   bluish-grey North American hawk having a darting flight

   chicken hawk, hen hawk

   nontechnical term for any hawks said to prey on poultry

   buteonine

   any hawk of the genus Buteo

   Buteo jamaicensis, red-tailed hawk, redtail

   dark brown American hawk species having a reddish-brown tail

   Buteo lagopus, rough-legged hawk, roughleg

   large hawk of the northern hemisphere that feeds chiefly on small rodents and is beneficial to farmers

   Buteo lineatus, red-shouldered hawk

   North American hawk with reddish brown shoulders

   Buteo buteo, buzzard

   the common European short-winged hawk

   Pernis apivorus, honey buzzard

   Old World hawk that feeds on bee larvae and small rodents and reptiles

   kite

   any of several small graceful hawks of the family Accipitridae having long pointed wings and feeding on insects and small animals

   harrier

   hawks that hunt over meadows and marshes and prey on small terrestrial animals

   harrier eagle, short-toed eagle

   any of numerous large Old World hawks intermediate in some respects between typical hawks and typical eagles

   falcon

   diurnal birds of prey having long pointed powerful wings adapted for swift flight

   Pandion haliaetus, fish eagle, fish hawk, osprey, sea eagle

   large harmless hawk found worldwide that feeds on fish and builds a bulky nest often occupied for years

   Milvus migrans, black kite

   dark Old World kite feeding chiefly on carrion

   Elanoides forficatus, swallow-tailed hawk, swallow-tailed kite

   graceful North American black-and-white kite

   Elanus leucurus, white-tailed kite

   grey-and-white American kite of warm and tropical regions

   Circus Aeruginosus, marsh harrier

   Old World harrier frequenting marshy regions

   Circus pygargus, Montagu's harrier

   brownish European harrier

   Circus cyaneus, hen harrier, marsh hawk, northern harrier

   common harrier of North America and Europe; nests in marshes and open land

   Falco peregrinus, peregrine, peregrine falcon

   a widely distributed falcon formerly used in falconry

   Falco rusticolus, gerfalcon, gyrfalcon

   large and rare Arctic falcon having white and dark color phases

   Falco tinnunculus, kestrel

   a small Old World falcon that hovers in the air against the wind

   American kestrel, Falco sparverius, kestrel, sparrow hawk

   a small North American falcon

   Falco columbarius, merlin, pigeon hawk

   small falcon of Europe and America having dark plumage with black-barred tail; used in falconry

   Falco subbuteo, hobby

   small Old World falcon formerly trained and flown at small birds

   caracara

   any of various long-legged carrion-eating hawks of South America and Central America

   type of:

   bird of prey, raptor, raptorial bird

   any of numerous carnivorous birds that hunt and kill other animals
2. noun

   an advocate of an aggressive policy on foreign relations
   synonyms: war hawk

   antonyms:

   dove

   someone who prefers negotiations to armed conflict in the conduct of foreign relations

   type of:

   militarist, warmonger

   a person who advocates war or warlike policies
3. verb

   hunt with hawks
   “the tribes like to hawk in the desert”

   type of:

   hunt, hunt down, run, track down

   pursue for food or sport (as of wild animals)
4. noun

   a square board with a handle underneath; used by masons to hold or carry mortar
   synonyms: mortarboard

   type of:

   board

   a flat piece of material designed for a special purpose
5. verb

   sell or offer for sale from place to place
   synonyms: huckster, monger, peddle, pitch, vend

   type of:

   deal, sell, trade

   do business; offer for sale as for one's livelihood
6. verb

   clear mucus or food from one's throat
   synonyms: clear the throat

   type of:

   cough

   exhale abruptly, as when one has a chest cold or congestion