harrier

1 of 3

noun (1)

har·​ri·​er ˈher-ē-ər How to pronounce harrier (audio)
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
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 To find answers, Sternalski now plans to study the genetic basis of the harrier’s female mimicry. Ed Yong, Discover Magazine, 8 Nov. 2011 The three runners — a sprinter, a hurdler and a harrier — were all favored to win events at the Howard County outdoor track and field championships, but doing it against a talented field of boys runners wouldn’t be easy. Jacob Calvin Meyer, baltimoresun.com, 29 May 2021 As a sophomore in 2018, Cole finished eighth at counties, and in 2019, the Centennial harrier won bronze behind Nanjappa and Ba. Jacob Calvin Meyer, baltimoresun.com, 11 June 2021 Around half the islands’ bird species were wiped out after humans arrived in New Zealand — including Haast’s eagle and Eyles’s harrier — opening new niches. Boyce Upholt, Smithsonian Magazine, 12 Sep. 2022

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'harrier.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

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

Time Traveler
The first known use of harrier was in 1542

Dictionary Entries Near harrier

Cite this Entry

“Harrier.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/harrier. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

harrier

1 of 2 noun
har·​ri·​er ˈhar-ē-ər How to pronounce harrier (audio)
: 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

More from Merriam-Webster on harrier

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