war hawk

noun

A proponent of war or military intrusiveness.

Meanings

nounwar hawk (plural war hawks)

plural war hawks · alternative warhawk

  1. figurativelyA proponent of war or military intrusiveness.

    Suddenly, John R. Bolton, the conservative war hawk and favorite villain of the left, is the toast of Senate Democrats, the last, best hope to prove their abuse-of-power case against President Trump.

    2020 January 28, Peter Baker, “For John Bolton, an ‘Upside-Down World’ After Trump Revelation”, in The New York Times
    1 more example

    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.

    2024 October 17, Connor Okeeffe, “Beware of war hawks in ‘America First’ clothing”, in The Orange County Register

    Synonyms: hawk, warmonger · Antonyms: dove, peace dove

  2. datedliteraryAn eagle.

Synonyms & antonyms

nounA proponent of war or military intrusiveness.

More synonyms by meaning

nounan advocate of an aggressive policy on foreign relations

Similar

Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.

Origin

Late 18th c., often attributed to Virginian Congressman John Randolph of Roanoke, but no written evidence exists. Popularized in debates concerning the War of 1812. Sense "eagle" probably a calque of Old English guþhafoc

Full word history & related roots →

Translations

Finnish haukka
  • haukkaproponent of war
Cite this entry
APA

war hawk. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/war%20hawk

MLA

“war hawk.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/war%20hawk. Accessed November 3, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “war hawk,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/war%20hawk.

Source: war hawk on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.