verb
hark
hahk
verb
1
To listen attentively, typically used in the old-fashioned command "hark!"
"Hark! Do you hear that distant bell?"
"The phrase "hark back" means to return to or recall something from the past."
How to Use Hark
Learner’s notesIn plain EnglishAn old-fashioned way of saying "listen!" — most commonly seen today in the phrase "hark back to."
When to use it
Archaic or literary; rarely used outside the fixed phrase "hark back."
Common pairings
hark back to
hark! the herald angels sing
Word Forms
harked past tense, harks plural, harks singular
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_____! Do you hear that distant bell?
Etymology
From Old English root related to "hear," with an added intensive ending, making it essentially an old word for "listen closely."