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war hawk

war hawk

1 7.4
A person who strongly supports using the military or going to war
  • noun
  • /wɔr hɔk/
translation icon : halcón de guerra
  • War hawks frequently draw analogies between Iran and Nazi Germany.

And you know, he was, he was really a hawk, a real unreformed, unrequited, requited Cold War hawk.

Examples

  • Reagan brought theocrats and war hawks into the Republican Party.

    Blog text (34)
  • "One young woman suggested Romney was trying to "appeal to the war hawks."

    Blog text (5)
  • - So you're just gonna let those war hawks start world war III?

  • If Hillary Clinton was a "war hawk" -- then Susan Rice is much more so ...

    Blog text (16)
  • He referred to his opponents as "war hawks" and suggested that the president should be impeached if he deployed U.S. troops without Congressional approval.

    Academic text (1999)
  • Many politicians are classified as war hawks due to their eagerness to use military force in conflicts.

  • During the debate, several war hawks argued passionately for increased military spending to prepare for potential threats.

  • Following the incident, the administration faced pressure from war hawks who were demanding a stronger military response.

Synonyms

hawk
vswar hawk
45 7.4

A person who supports using military force in other countries

emphasizes strong backing for actual war rather than general military measures
warmonger
vswar hawk
  • Offensive
17 8.1

A person who wants their country to start a war or use force against other countries

supports war strongly but may not actively promote it publicly
militarist
vswar hawk
3 7.7

A person who supports using a strong army and war to solve problems

focuses on backing war itself rather than military strength or policy
jingoist
vswar hawk
1 9.3

A person who strongly supports their country and wants it to attack other countries

supports war for strategic reasons rather than from patriotic fervor

Antonyms

58 1.0

A small white pigeon often shown as a sign of peace

How Hawkish

warmonger
  • Offensive
17 8.1
war hawk
1 7.4
moderate
85 4.6
dove
11 6.7
pacifist
28 5.5

Surface Forms

war hawk singular
war hawks plural

Morphology

war + hawk

The meaning 'a person who strongly supports war' is directly compositional from 'war' (armed conflict) + 'hawk' (someone who advocates forceful intervention), so a learner who knows both constituent senses can infer the compound. This noun–noun compounding follows a regular English pattern and the political 'hawk' metaphor is common cross-linguistically, making the expression immediately understandable.

Etymology

War hawk compares a person to a hawk, a fierce bird that hunts and attacks other animals. Because a hawk seems aggressive, calling someone a war hawk makes you think of a person who wants to fight or use force, so the phrase means 'a person who strongly supports war'.