hound

1
[ hound ]
See synonyms for: houndhoundedhounding on Thesaurus.com

noun
  1. one of any of several breeds of dogs trained to pursue game either by sight or by scent, especially one with a long face and large drooping ears.

  2. Informal. any dog.

  1. Slang.

    • an unpleasant, mean, or despicable person.

    • a man who chases women; a promiscuous man.

  2. Informal. an ardent fan or devotee: an autograph hound.

  3. one of the pursuers in the game of hare and hounds.

verb (used with object)
  1. to hunt or track with hounds, or as a hound does; pursue.

  2. to pursue or harass without respite: Her little brother wouldn't stop hounding her.

  1. to incite (a hound) to pursuit or attack; urge on.

  2. Informal. to incite or urge (a person) to do something (often followed byon): The committee has been hounded on by those who want these repairs done immediately.

Idioms about hound

  1. follow the hounds, Fox Hunting. to participate in a hunt, especially as a member of the field.

  2. ride to hounds, Fox Hunting. to participate in a hunt, whether as a member of the field or of the hunt staff.

Origin of hound

1
First recorded before 900; Middle English h(o)und, Old English hund; cognate with Dutch hond, Old Norse hundr, Danish, Swedish hund, German Hund, Gothic hunds; akin to Latin canis, Greek kýōn (genitive kynós ), Sanskrit śván (genitive śunas ), Old Irish (genitive con ), Welsh ci (plural cwn ), Tocharian A kū, Lithuanian šuõ

Other words for hound

Other words from hound

  • hound·er, noun
  • hound·ish, hound·y, adjective
  • hound·like, adjective
  • un·hound·ed, adjective

Other definitions for hound (2 of 2)

hound2
[ hound ]

noun
  1. Nautical. either of a pair of fore-and-aft members at the lower end of the head of a mast, for supporting the trestletrees, that support an upper mast at its heel.: Compare cheek (def. 12).

  2. a horizontal bar or brace, usually one of a pair, for strengthening the running gear of a horse-drawn wagon or the like.

Origin of hound

2
First recorded in 1175–1225; Middle English houn(e), hune, from Old Norse hūnn “knob at the top of a masthead”

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use hound in a sentence

  • So she was hounded out of the running, with neocon darling John McCain at the head of the pack.

    Conservative "Feminism" For Flournoy | Emily L. Hauser | December 18, 2012 | THE DAILY BEAST
  • Ordered one day to keep the law; ordered the next day to break the law; hounded by owners and threatened by the government!

    Blow The Man Down | Holman Day
  • Angel's wife felt almost as if she had been hounded up that hill like a scorned thing by those—to her—superfine clerics.

  • He has hounded that poor man to his death in revenge for the trifling sum of money which he was called on to pay for him.

    The Prime Minister | Anthony Trollope
  • Hounded out er France, poor souls, just like my own great-great-great-granther's father!

    Flamsted quarries | Mary E. Waller
  • Though passionately fond of his wife, yet there were times when McKenzie felt that he was being hounded ahead.

    The Viking Blood | Frederick William Wallace

British Dictionary definitions for hound (1 of 2)

hound1

/ (haʊnd) /


noun
    • any of several breeds of dog used for hunting

    • (in combination): an otterhound; a deerhound

  1. the hounds a pack of foxhounds, etc

  1. a dog, esp one regarded as annoying

  2. a despicable person

  3. (in hare and hounds) a runner who pursues a hare

  4. slang, mainly US and Canadian an enthusiast: an autograph hound

  5. short for houndfish See also nursehound

  6. ride to hounds or follow the hounds to take part in a fox hunt with hounds

verb(tr)
  1. to pursue or chase relentlessly

  2. to urge on

Origin of hound

1
Old English hund; related to Old High German hunt, Old Norse hundr, Gothic hunds

Derived forms of hound

  • hounder, noun

British Dictionary definitions for hound (2 of 2)

hound2

/ (haʊnd) /


noun
  1. either of a pair of horizontal bars that reinforce the running gear of a horse-drawn vehicle

  2. nautical either of a pair of fore-and-aft braces that serve as supports for a topmast

Origin of hound

2
C15: of Scandinavian origin; related to Old Norse hūnn knob, cube

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Idioms and Phrases with hound

hound

see run with (the hare, hunt with the hounds).

The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.