Variations of the term include chicken hawk, referring to a person who supports waging war but previously avoided or is actively avoiding military service (i.e., cowardice); and liberal hawk, referring to a person who adheres to passive liberalism in domestic politics while simultaneously having a militaristic and interventionist foreign policy.
The term "war hawk" was coined in 1792 and was often used to ridicule politicians who favored a pro-war policy in peacetime.
Historian Donald R. Hickey found 129 uses of the term in American newspapers before late 1811, mostly from Federalists warning against Democratic-Republican foreign policy.
Other men traditionally identified as War Hawks include Richard Mentor Johnson of Kentucky, William Lowndes of South Carolina, Langdon Cheves of South Carolina, Felix Grundy of Tennessee, and William W. Bibb of Georgia.
It may also refer to a person or political leader who favors a strong or aggressive military policy, though not necessarily outright war.