harrier

1 of 3

noun (1)

har·​ri·​er ˈher-ē-ər 

ˈha-rē-

1

: any of a breed of hunting dogs resembling a small English foxhound and originally bred for hunting rabbits

2

: a runner on a cross-country team

harrier

2 of 3

noun (2)

: any of a genus (Circus) of slender hawks having long angled wings and long legs and feeding chiefly on small mammals, reptiles, and insects

harrier

3 of 3

noun (3)

: one that harries

Examples of harrier in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

Sign up As omnivorous eaters, an unchecked population of stoats also poses a threat to mice, rabbits, hedgehogs and birds, including Orkney's population of curlews and hen harriers. —Abby Wilson, theweek, 1 Nov. 2024

Rockstar then packed the world with everything from skydiving and harrier jets to trucking — all within a 6×6 kilometer map, a step up from the 4×4 kilometers for GTA III and Vice City. —Ade Adeniji, Rolling Stone, 27 Oct. 2024

Basically, covering McMillian is like trying to cover a harrier jet in mid-flight. —Sean Keeler, The Denver Post, 18 Oct. 2024

This coincided with the evolution of two large predatory birds: Haast’s eagle and Eyles’ harrier. —Grrlscientist, Forbes, 15 Sep. 2024

The property looks on to a deep river valley where harrier hawks and bush falcons swoop for prey. —Lauren Quaintance, Condé Nast Traveler, 13 Feb. 2024

Mice and voles living on the land drew foxes and migratory raptors such as kestrels and harriers, who feasted on the cornucopia each time the grass was mowed. —Cara Buckley, New York Times, 13 Dec. 2023

River Hill’s Chloe McGeehan was the top Howard County harrier, crossing the line in second. —Jacob Calvin Meyer, baltimoresun.com, 14 Sep. 2021

Vedantham was the top Vikings’ finisher at counties last season by placing 28th, and Witcher expects Teachey, who didn’t run this past spring, to be the team’s top harrier. —Jacob Calvin Meyer, baltimoresun.com, 3 Sep. 2021

Word History

Etymology

Noun (1)

Middle English hayrer, heirer, eirer, of uncertain origin, later reshaped after hare entry 1 and harrier entry 3

Noun (2)

earlier also harroer, harrower, from harrow entry 1 or harry + -er entry 2

Noun (3)

harry + -er entry 2

First Known Use

Noun (1)

1542, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Noun (2)

1553, in the meaning defined above

Noun (3)

1596, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing harrier

• northern harrier

Kids Definition

harrier

1 of 2 noun

har·​ri·​er ˈhar-ē-ər 

: any of a breed of hunting dogs like a large beagle that were originally used for hunting rabbits

harrier

2 of 2 noun

1

: one that harries

2

: any of various slender long-legged hawks