sparrow hawk

noun

: any of various small hawks: such as
a
: an Old World accipiter (Accipiter nisus) that is dark gray to blackish above with the female having a grayish-brown barred underside and the male having a chestnut barred underside

Illustration of sparrow hawk

Illustration of sparrow hawk
  • sparrow hawk a

Examples of sparrow hawk in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
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.
Seconds later, a sparrow hawk swooped in; all of the tits had escaped safely. Rivka Galchen, The New Yorker, 14 Oct. 2024 For example, in the Netherlands, the Eurasian sparrow hawk has been late for dinner because its prey, the blue tit, has -- over 16 years -- arrived almost six days earlier than the hawk. CBS News, 17 Apr. 2018

Word History

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of sparrow hawk was in the 15th century

Dictionary Entries Near sparrow hawk

Cite this Entry

“Sparrow hawk.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/sparrow%20hawk. Accessed 14 Nov. 2024.

Kids Definition

sparrow hawk

noun
: any of various small hawks

More from Merriam-Webster on sparrow hawk

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

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