Meaning & use
hawked
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“hawked” is a form of “hawk”. See that entry for the full set of meanings.
Meanings
verbtransitive
Tried to sell goods, often by calling out in the street or by pushing them on people.
Grammar: Takes an object: hawk something (goods, wares, tickets).
Patterns
- hawk something
- hawk something to someone
- hawk something on the street
He hawked cheap watches outside the station every morning.
She hawked her handmade jewelry at the weekend market.
They were hawked as miracle cures, but none of them worked.
verbtransitivedisapproving
Spread news, rumors, or ideas around in order to get attention or support.
Grammar: Takes an object, often a story or rumor: hawk a rumor.
Patterns
- hawk a story
- hawk rumors
- hawk something around
The tabloids hawked the scandal for weeks.
He went from office to office, hawking his version of events.
Wild claims were hawked online to attract clicks.
verbtransitive or intransitive
Coughed up phlegm from the throat and spat it out.
Grammar: Can be used with or without an object: hawk (something) up.
Patterns
- hawk up something
- hawk something up
- hawk loudly
He hawked and spat onto the ground.
She hawked up something from her throat and felt better.
The old man hawked noisily before he spoke.
Word forms
| third person singular | hawks |
|---|---|
| past tense | hawked |
| past participle | hawked |
| -ing form | hawking |
Common combinations
- hawk goods
- Street traders hawked goods from dawn until dusk.
- hawk wares
- The peddler hawked his wares in every village.
- hawk a story
- The paper hawked the story as an exclusive.
- hawk tickets
- Scalpers hawked tickets outside the stadium.
- hawk up phlegm
- He coughed and hawked up phlegm into a tissue.
Synonyms and how they differ
- peddle
- Very close in meaning; peddle is often used for selling small items from place to place, while hawk stresses the loud public calling-out.
- sell
- The general word; hawk adds the idea of aggressive or public selling.
- spread
- Fits the rumor sense better than hawk when no selling or pushing is involved.
- cough up
- Used for the phlegm sense; cough up is more informal and more common in everyday speech.
Opposites
Word family
Commonly confused: hawked or hocked? hawked or hacked?
hawked vs hocked
Hocked means pawned something (left it with a pawnbroker for a loan); hawked means sold it, often in the street.
hawked vs hacked
Hacked means cut roughly or broke into a computer system; hawked is about selling or spreading.
Practice
Which sentence uses 'hawked' correctly?
Choose one answer.
'Hawked' means sold goods, often in public, so 'hawked her old bike at the flea market' fits. Option 1 is wrong because hawk does not mean 'walked'; option 2 is wrong because hawk does not mean 'finished'; option 3 is wrong because hawk does not mean 'caught' (the verb for illness is 'caught').
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “hawked”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.