as in hawk
one who urges or attempts to cause a war
war hawks in the cabinet who urged the President to respond to the threat with armed force
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Recent Examples of war hawk
The latter, however, would upset the uber-nationalists and war hawks who believe that nothing short of Ukraine’s full capitulation is acceptable for the mighty Russian state.
—
Daniel Depetris, Twin Cities, 15 May 2026
Great Again isolationists and GOP war hawks.
—Lia Russell, Sacbee.com, 1 Apr. 2026
An Iran war hawk, Graham said he was invited to a meeting in South Florida on March 27 with Steve Witkoff, a high-ranking Trump administration foreign policy official, to discuss normalizing relations between Saudi Arabia and Israel.
—Zachary Schermele, USA Today, 31 Mar. 2026
Arnett was a tough and fearless New Zealander who wrote about the war from the battlefield with a realism that often led to the dismay and anger of President Johnson and the war hawks surrounding him.
—Peter Lucas, Boston Herald, 25 Dec. 2025
The issue has divided much of Trump’s base, between traditional GOP war hawks and those who claim further military intervention would be antithetical to MAGA values.
—Sarah Fortinsky, The Hill, 19 June 2025
The war hawks intend to lobby the federal government for the resources to destroy Mayday once and for all, and Gabriel magnanimously welcomes Joseph to the party.
—Amanda Whiting, Vulture, 20 May 2025
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
Daniel Depetris, Twin Cities, 15 May 2026
Great Again isolationists and GOP war hawks.
—Lia Russell, Sacbee.com, 1 Apr. 2026
An Iran war hawk, Graham said he was invited to a meeting in South Florida on March 27 with Steve Witkoff, a high-ranking Trump administration foreign policy official, to discuss normalizing relations between Saudi Arabia and Israel.
—Zachary Schermele, USA Today, 31 Mar. 2026
Arnett was a tough and fearless New Zealander who wrote about the war from the battlefield with a realism that often led to the dismay and anger of President Johnson and the war hawks surrounding him.
—Peter Lucas, Boston Herald, 25 Dec. 2025
The issue has divided much of Trump’s base, between traditional GOP war hawks and those who claim further military intervention would be antithetical to MAGA values.
—Sarah Fortinsky, The Hill, 19 June 2025
The war hawks intend to lobby the federal government for the resources to destroy Mayday once and for all, and Gabriel magnanimously welcomes Joseph to the party.
—Amanda Whiting, Vulture, 20 May 2025
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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for war hawk
hawk
Noun
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Below, a few select graduation gifts that the English major in your life might appreciate—or at least hawk on eBay.—
Lit Hub Approved,
Literary Hub,
18 May 2026
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Their prices steadily climbed throughout 2025 and early 2026 before crashing at the end of January, which analysts had attributed at the time to Trump’s nomination of Kevin Warsh, considered a monetary policy hawk, to lead the Federal Reserve.—
Conor Murray,
Forbes.com,
15 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“War hawk.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/war%20hawk. Accessed 21 May. 2026.
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