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
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
Cheney was a staunch conservative and known as a war hawk on foreign policy.
—Joey Garrison, USA Today, 20 Nov. 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
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
Peter Lucas, Boston Herald, 25 Dec. 2025
Cheney was a staunch conservative and known as a war hawk on foreign policy.
—Joey Garrison, USA Today, 20 Nov. 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
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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for war hawk
hawk
Noun
-
Was the Vice-President sidelined, beat out by the hawks around him?—
Ian Crouch,
New Yorker,
7 Jan. 2026
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Like most conservative economists at the time, Hassett was a staunch deficit hawk, an advocate of higher levels of immigration, and, above all else, an unabashed free trader.—
Rogé Karma,
The Atlantic,
7 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“War hawk.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/war%20hawk. Accessed 13 Jan. 2026.
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