Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • noun One who sells goods aggressively, especially by calling out.

from The Century Dictionary.

  • To play the hawker; peddle.
  • noun One who offers goods for sale by outcry in the street; one who travels about selling small wares; a peddler; a packman.
  • noun One who hawks, or pursues the sport of hawking; a falconer.
  • noun A sloop-rigged vessel.

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

  • noun A falconer.
  • noun One who sells wares by crying them in the street; hence, a peddler or a packman.
  • intransitive verb obsolete To sell goods by outcry in the street.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • noun A peddler, huckster, who travels about to sell easily transportable goods.
  • noun A type of dragonfly pertaining to the Aeshnidae family.
  • noun Someone who breeds and trains hawks and other falcons; a falconer.

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

  • noun a person who breeds and trains hawks and who follows the sport of falconry
  • noun someone who travels about selling his wares (as on the streets or at carnivals)

Etymologies

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition

[Middle English hauker, probably from Middle Low German höker, from hōken, to peddle, bend, bear on the back.]

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

hawk +‎ -er.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

Probably from Medieval Low German hoker

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Examples

  • The Hindu hawker is still a figure to be met frequently in the Bush – where he is, indeed, something of an institution.

    Mates at Billabong 1911

  • Such men have generally arrived at the dignity of a pack-horse – no unmixed benefit in the eyes of people driving, since most of the country horses are reduced to frenzy by the sight of the lean screw with his immense white pack – the hawker is merciless to his horse – led by the "black" man in flapping clothes and gay turban.

    Mates at Billabong 1911

  • Nowadays a hawker is a pedlar, and it has been assumed, without sufficient evidence, that the word is of the same origin as huckster.

    The Romance of Names Ernest Weekley 1909

  • VAIL VALLEY, Colorado - In many Malaysian cities, food vendors called hawker stalls line the streets at night serving steaming hot noodle bowls, curries and other Asian dishes to hungry passersby.

    Vail Daily - Top Stories 2009

  • A 'hawker' at the signal light told us that this was the by-pass road, otherwise we would have missed it.

    Ajijic via Zacatecas and Aguascalientes route 2006

  • A 'hawker' at the signal light told us that this was the by-pass road, otherwise we would have missed it.

    Zacatecas to Guadalajara 2002

  • Mr McCann started his own business in 1988 as a 'hawker' of cars.

    ANC Daily News Briefing 1995

  • Abraham Granish, Winehouse's great-great grandfather, was a Russian immigrant described as a "hawker", selling goods door-to-door, who lived in the Spitalfields area of the capital.

    News24 2009

  • Abraham Granish, Winehouse's great-great grandfather, was a Russian immigrant described as a "hawker," selling goods door-to-door, who lived in the Spitalfields area of the capital.

    northernstar.com.au: The Northern Star 2009

  • The reports in STOMP about these food courts and fast food restaurants would usually be followed up quickly by the relevant owners of these outlets, but we dont see such swift action when it comes to public facilities such as hawker centres and wet markets. nothing less can be expected of yabob to say. the pap govt will forever try to appear flawless. this has always been their way to fool people into thinking they are really great and continue to vote for them. (& their million $ salary) luckily in this age of internet, there are alternative source of news & discussion. no … … … … it's the rats 'fault!!

    SARA - Southeast Asian RSS Aggregator 2009

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