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 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 Justin, whose real name The Oregonian/OregonLive has agreed to withhold for both his safety and that of his family in Iran, fears the attacks give credibility to war hawks in both nations. oregonlive, 9 Jan. 2020 Should America be worried that Trump is filling his Cabinet with war hawks? Joe Garofoli, San Francisco Chronicle, 12 Apr. 2018

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'war hawk.' Any 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

Time Traveler
The first known use of war hawk was in 1798

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 24 Apr. 2024.

More from Merriam-Webster on war hawk

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!