/ hɔːk; NAmE / noun , verb
■ noun
1.
a strong fast bird of prey (= a bird that kills other creatures for food) :
He waited, watching her like a hawk (= watching her very closely) .
—see also sparrowhawk
2.
a person, especially a politician, who supports the use of military force to solve problems
OPP dove
■ verb
1.
[ vn ] to try to sell things by going from place to place asking people to buy them
SYN peddle
2.
[ v , vn ] to get phlegm in your mouth when you cough
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IDIOMS
see eye noun
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WORD ORIGIN
noun Old English hafoc , heafoc , of Germanic origin; related to Dutch havik and German Habicht .
verb sense 1 late 15th cent.: probably a back-formation from hawker .
verb sense 2 late 16th cent.: probably imitative.