What does hawing mean?
Hawing is an uncommon verb meaning to wander or move about without a definite purpose. It can also have the dialectal sense of staring or looking about idly. The word now sounds old-fashioned, regional, or even like a misspelling of “hauling,” but it appears in older and dialectal English. For example, someone spending the afternoon “hawing about” the square was roaming or lingering rather than working. In another traditional use, a person might be described as “hawing at” passers-by, meaning that they were gazing or staring in their direction. Although rarely encountered in contemporary standard English, hawing is useful to a reader because it preserves an older vocabulary of idleness, wandering, and prolonged looking.
verbHawing is an old or dialectal verb meaning to wander or move about idly. In some dialects, it also means to stare or look about.
- To wander or move about idly.
- To stare or look about.
"He spent the afternoon hawing about the village square, stopping to chat with anyone he met."
"After the shops closed, the children continued hawing about the market square."
"The old man sat by the window, hawing at each person who passed in the street."
To be hawing once meant to gad about or stare, not to pull a load.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does hawing come from?
Hawing comes from the verb haw, which survives chiefly in obsolete and dialectal usage. The word is commonly traced through Middle English hawen to Old English hawian, with senses associated with wandering, looking about, or moving from place to place. Its continued appearance in regional speech reflects an older English verb whose modern standard form has largely disappeared.
How hawing is actually used
Hawing is now uncommon and sounds old-fashioned or regional. Modern speakers may mistake it for hauling, especially because the two words can sound similar.
Easily confused with hawing
Hawing is an uncommon old or dialectal verb meaning to wander or look about, whereas hauling means to transport or pull a heavy load.