A hawk is a large bird with a short, hooked beak, sharp claws, and very good eyesight. Hawks catch and eat small birds and animals.

In politics, if you refer to someone as a hawk, you mean that they believe in using force and violence to achieve something, rather than using more peaceful or diplomatic methods.

If you watch someone like a hawk, you observe them very carefully, usually to make sure that they do not make a mistake or do something you do not want them to do.