-
- To save this word, you'll need to log in.
war hawk
noun
: a person who clamors for war
especially
: a jingoistic American favoring war with Britain around 1812
Examples of war hawk in a Sentence
war hawks in the cabinet who urged the President to respond to the threat with armed force
Recent Examples on the Web
Election 2024 live updates:Trump attacks Cheney and calls her a 'war hawk'
Sign-up for Your Vote: Text with the USA TODAY elections team.
—Kinsey Crowley, USA TODAY, 1 Nov. 2024
But critics of Washington’s hyper-aggressive foreign policy need to understand that the flight of many of the worst war hawks from the Republican Party does not mean the GOP has returned to its non-interventionist roots.
—Connor Okeeffe, Orange County Register, 17 Oct. 2024
Yet some domestic pressures on Putin incentivize belligerence, namely the war hawks outside government who continually demand more expansive military mobilization or even the use of nuclear weapons.
—Austin Carson, Foreign Affairs, 14 Sep. 2023
The war hawk demanded Nabiullina explain herself to the population now that currency has lost roughly a quarter of its value against the dollar since the start of this year.
—Bychristiaan Hetzner, Fortune, 14 Aug. 2023
Moscow has outlawed criticism of the military, which can lead to lengthy prison sentences, though pro-war hawks have been permitted to complain about military failures or that Russian forces have not used sufficiently brutal tactics.
—David L. Stern, Washington Post, 24 Feb. 2023
Protests are virtually outlawed in Russia, and public opposition to the war poses great personal risks, including prosecution and long prison sentences, though pro-war hawks are generally permitted to complain that Russia is not winning fast enough, or to demand more brutal tactics.
—Mary Ilyushina, Robyn Dixon, BostonGlobe.com, 24 Feb. 2023
Former Russian President Dmitry Medvedev, who renewed the START treaty in 2009 but now represents pro-war hawks, said Friday that the only way to ensure a lasting peace was to push back the borders of hostile states as far as possible, even if that included NATO member Poland.
—Patrick Smith, NBC News, 24 Feb. 2023
Doing so will prevent war hawk politicians from making rash decisions based on heightened emotion and committing American lives to every corner of the world.
—Tara Kavaler, The Arizona Republic, 28 Sep. 2022
These examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
illustrate current usage. Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of
Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback
about these examples.
Word History
First Known Use
1798, in the meaning defined above
Dictionary Entries Near war hawk
Cite this Entry
“War hawk.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/war%20hawk. Accessed 16 Nov. 2024.
More from Merriam-Webster on war hawk
Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about war hawk
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share