chickenhawk

In real, traceable use. Part of the curated seed collection; community review is coming.

Meaning · English

An older, usually more powerful man who preys on adolescent boys for sex.

Register: derogatory, slang

Where it’s used: Used American English

Examples

For every instance of Saul's good-humoredly putting one over on the criminal justice system […] to free his younger lover from his latest legal trouble, Rogers recounts callous treatment at the hands of the older man. In addition, Sinbad suffers brutal depredations from the city's other chicken hawk

Usage example from English Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0, retrieved 2026-07-30)

Sources & notes

Adapted from English Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0, retrieved 2026-07-30 via kaikki.org).

Common questions

What does “chickenhawk” mean?

An older, usually more powerful man who preys on adolescent boys for sex.

Is “chickenhawk” formal or informal?

chickenhawk is generally derogatory, slang.