Nighthawk

//ˈnaɪthɑk// noun

noun ·Uncommon ·Advanced level

Definitions

Noun
  1. 1
    A nightjar, especially Caprimulgus europaeus (Eurasian nightjar). UK, regional
  2. 2
    mainly nocturnal North American goatsucker wordnet
  3. 3
    A New World nightjar of the genus Chordeiles, especially Chordeiles minor. US

    "The swallows circled around and I watched them and the night-hawks flying above the roofs and drank the Cinzano."

  4. 4
    a person who likes to be active late at night wordnet
  5. 5
    A person whose preference or custom is to remain awake and active during the night and the early morning hours.
Show 2 more definitions
  1. 6
    A nighthawker (metal detectorist who works illegally at night).
  2. 7
    An unlicensed prostitute who worked the roadsides at night. Japan, historical

Synonyms

All synonyms
bullbatnight owlnight owlbullbathigh livermagpie

Example

More examples

"The swallows circled around and I watched them and the night-hawks flying above the roofs and drank the Cinzano."

Etymology

From night + hawk.

Related phrases

Antillean nighthawkNacunda nighthawkcommon nighthawkleast nighthawklesser nighthawksand-colored nighthawk

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Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.