manhunt

[ man-huhnt ]

noun

1. an intensive search for a criminal, suspect, escaped convict, etc., as by law enforcement agencies.
2. an intensive search for any person.

manhunt

/ ˈmænˌhʌnt /

noun

1. an organized search, usually by police, for a wanted man or fugitive

Derived Forms

• ˈmanˌhunter, noun

Other Words From

• man hunter noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of manhunt¹

An Americanism dating back to 1835–45; man + hunt

Example Sentences

The FBI has led a manhunt to find Laundrie—so far with no success.

From The Daily Beast

Newspapers published photos celebrating the success of the secret manhunt.

From ProPublica

Less than a week after Villa’s raid, Pershing and his Punitive Expedition, as it was called, crossed into Mexico to commence their manhunt.

From Washington Post

Police arrested Robert Aaron Long, 21, after a brief manhunt and said he is the suspect in all eight deaths.

From Washington Post

In 2013, it was deployed by law enforcement during the 20-hour manhunt for the Boston Marathon bombers.

From Washington Post

Jonathan “War Machine” Koppenhaver was arrested after a weeklong manhunt.

From The Daily Beast

For them the 18-day search for the Israeli teens and the manhunt for their captors was tantamount to collective punishment.

From The Daily Beast

Outside a Virginia jail where Salvi was later held after a nationwide manhunt, his supporters gathered.

From The Daily Beast

Merah was gunned down by police after a tense manhunt and violent 32-hour standoff at his apartment.

From The Daily Beast

A joint U.S.-Mexico security operation ended a 13-year manhunt for El Chapo, the head of the feared Sinaloa cartel.

From The Daily Beast

Then began a real manhunt, with all its hideous and atrocious interludes.

From Project Gutenberg

It was not an especially auspicious beginning to their manhunt.

From Project Gutenberg

Truly, in the present case he was much more concerned than in an ordinary manhunt.

From Project Gutenberg

That was Federation-wide news; the end of a fifteen-year manhunt for the most wanted criminal in the known Galaxy.

From Project Gutenberg

But prudence is apt to be forgotten in the excitement of a hunt, and a manhunt is the most thrilling of all chases.

From Project Gutenberg