hound

¹ American  

[hound] / haʊnd /

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.

3. Slang.

   1. an unpleasant, mean, or despicable person.

   2. a man who chases women; a promiscuous man.

4. Informal. an ardent fan or devotee.

   an autograph hound.

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

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verb (used with object)

1. to hunt or track with hounds, or as a hound does; pursue.

   Synonyms:

   tail, trail, chase, follow, dog

2. to pursue or harass without respite.

   Her little brother wouldn't stop hounding her.

   Synonyms:

   bully, persecute, annoy, pester

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

4. 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

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

2. follow the hounds, to participate in a hunt, especially as a member of the field.

hound ² American  

[hound] / haʊnd /

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.

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

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hound ¹ British  

/ haʊnd /

noun

1. 1. any of several breeds of dog used for hunting

   2. ( in combination )

      an otterhound

      a deerhound

2. a pack of foxhounds, etc

3. a dog, esp one regarded as annoying

4. a despicable person

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

6. slang an enthusiast

   an autograph hound

7. short for houndfish See also nursehound

8. to take part in a fox hunt with hounds

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verb

1. to pursue or chase relentlessly

2. to urge on

hound ² British  

/ 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

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hound More Idioms  

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

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Other Word Forms

• hounder noun
• houndish adjective
• houndlike adjective
• houndy adjective
• unhounded adjective

Etymology

Origin of hound¹

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 cú (genitive con ), Welsh ci (plural cwn ), Tocharian A kū, Lithuanian šuõ

Origin of hound²

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

Example Sentences

With a major role in Josh Safdie’s madcap ping-pong riot, “Marty Supreme,” Paltrow is rounding out the year with a bang, earning her last laugh against gossip hounds and Goop critics.

From Salon

He once described himself as “a basset hound with a 25-watt personality.”

From The Wall Street Journal

The controversy around Ms Dzafce is a postscript to a chaotic Miss Universe pageant hosted in Thailand that had been hounded by walkouts and allegations of rigging.

From BBC

If the temperature is cool, my mom will walk until the hounds of hell stop her, no matter how much pain she’s in; she equates taking a short taxi ride as a moral failure.

From Los Angeles Times

Soon the fraying American regiments were being hounded south by west through New Jersey, and by Christmas Day King George’s troops had driven them across the Delaware River into Pennsylvania.

From The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

• annoy
• bother
• goad
• harass
• heckle
• hector
• persecute
• pester
• pursue