Meaning & use
harking
Last updated
“harking” is a form of “hark”. See that entry for the full set of meanings.
Meanings
verbintransitiveliterary
referring back to or reminding you of something from the past.
Grammar: Used in the phrase harking back to something. The base verb is hark, but the -ing form harking is almost always part of this idiom.
Patterns
- harking back to something
The design is harking back to the styles of the 1950s.
Her speech kept harking back to her childhood in the countryside.
The movie is harking back to a simpler time.
verbintransitiveold-fashionedliterary
listening carefully or paying attention (old use).
Grammar: In modern English this sense is rare and mostly appears in old literature or as a humorous command: Hark!
Patterns
- hark to something
The poem begins with the line 'Hark, the herald angels sing.'
In the old story, the travelers stopped to hark to the distant bells.
Word forms
| base form | hark |
|---|---|
| third person singular | harks |
| past tense | harked |
| past participle | harked |
Common combinations
- harking back to
- The new album is harking back to the band's early sound.
- keep harking back to
- He keeps harking back to the same old argument.
- hark back to the past
- The festival is a way of harking back to the past.
- hark! (old use)
- Hark! I hear a knock at the door.
Synonyms and how they differ
- recalling
- Recalling means actively remembering something; harking back to suggests a return in style or memory, often with a nostalgic feeling.
- echoing
- Echoing means repeating or reminding you of something; harking back to is more specific to the past.
- reverting
- Reverting means going back to a previous state or subject; harking back to is mainly about referring to the past in memory or style.
Opposites
Word family
- hark verb
- The base verb, meaning to listen or pay attention, now old-fashioned.
- hark back phrasal verb
- To remember or refer to something from the past.
Commonly confused: harking or hawking? harking or hacking?
harking vs hawking
Hawking can mean selling goods in the street or clearing the throat; harking is about listening or referring back to the past.
harking vs hacking
Hacking means cutting roughly or breaking into computer systems; harking is a different word with a different meaning.
Practice
The phrase 'harking back to' is closest in meaning to ______.
Choose one answer.
Harking back to means remembering or referring to something from the past. Looking forward to is the opposite; listening carefully is the old literal sense of hark, not the idiom; returning something is unrelated.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “harking”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.