as in listening
to pay attention especially through the act of hearing
upon hearing the offending ringing, the teacher sarcastically cried, "Hark! Could that possibly be a cell phone?"
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Recent Examples of harking
For years now, womenswear designers have been delivering us long, thin (and often useless) scarves—harking all the way back to early-aughts Chloé and Marc Jacobs days, when boho-chic ruled the runways.
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Christian Allaire, Vogue, 19 Nov. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for harking
Verb
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The round-table style of the gathering – pioneered during large-scale assemblies organized by Pope Francis – signals Leo’s plan to continue his predecessor’s approach of seeking a more welcoming church, with leaders listening closely to Catholics in the pews.—
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Seven out of the 10 dogs successfully learned the names of their new toy stingrays and armadillos from passively listening to their owners.—
Verb
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The storytelling is thematically and formally rich, harkening back to the scrappy ethos of early public radio; the topics can be personal, philosophical, and even esoteric.—
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Both Sabrina Carpenter and Tate McRae elected to go retro with their respective designer looks, harkening back to the early aughts with their strapless dresses.—
Cite this Entry
“Harking.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/harking. Accessed 20 Jan. 2026.
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