haw
/hɔ/
interjection
- A command used to direct a horse or ox to turn left.
- She pulled the reins and called 'haw' to guide the horse toward the barn.
- Learning to say 'gee' and 'haw' is essential for driving a team of horses.
- The farmer shouted 'haw' to make the ox turn left.
Antonyms
noun
- The fruit of the hawthorn tree, a small red berry-like fruit.
- Birds love to eat the bright red haws in the winter.
- The hawthorn tree was covered in clusters of ripe haws.
- She collected haws from the hedgerow to make jelly.
- A hesitation or pause in speech, often used in the phrase 'hem and haw'.
- There was a long haw before he finally agreed to help.
- He answered with a lot of hemming and hawing, never giving a straight answer.
- Stop your hawing and just tell me what you think.
- The third eyelid or nictitating membrane of a dog, cat, or other animal.
- When the cat was sleepy, its haw was partially visible.
- The vet checked the dog's haw for any signs of infection.
- A prolapsed haw can be a sign of illness in some animals.
verb
- To turn left, especially when driving a team of animals.
- The teamster called out and the horses hawed obediently.
- When she said 'haw,' the mules turned left without hesitation.
- He learned to haw the oxen at the end of each row.
- To hesitate or speak with pauses, especially in the phrase 'hem and haw'.
- She hawed for a moment before giving her opinion.
- The politician hemmed and hawed instead of answering the question.
- Stop hawing and make a decision.