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• hunter
  hunter

  noun

  a person who hunts game or other wild animals for food or in sport.
• Hunter
  Hunter

  noun

  John, 1728–93, Scottish surgeon, physiologist, and biologist.

hunter

¹ American  

[huhn-ter] / ˈhʌn tər /

noun

• hunters
  plural

1. a person who hunts game or other wild animals for food or in sport.

2. a person who searches for or seeks something.

   a fortune hunter.

3. a horse specially trained for quietness, stamina, and jumping ability in hunting.

4. an animal, as a dog, trained to hunt game.

5. Astronomy. Hunter, the constellation Orion.

6. Also called hunting watch.  a watch with a hunting case.

7. hunter green.

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Hunter ² American  

[huhn-ter] / ˈhʌn tər /

noun

1. John, 1728–93, Scottish surgeon, physiologist, and biologist.

2. Robert Mercer Taliaferro 1809–87, U.S. political leader: Speaker of the House 1839–41.

3. a male given name.

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hunter ¹ British  

/ ˈhʌntə /

noun

1. Female equivalent: huntress.  a person or animal that seeks out and kills or captures game

2. 1. a person who looks diligently for something

   2. ( in combination )

      a fortune-hunter

3. a specially bred horse used in hunting, usually characterized by strength and stamina

4. a specially bred dog used to hunt game

5. Also called: hunting watch.  a watch with a hinged metal lid or case ( hunting case ) to protect the crystal See also half-hunter

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Hunter ² British  

/ ˈhʌntə /

noun

1. John. 1728–93, British physician, noted for his investigation of venereal and other diseases

2. his brother, William. 1718–83, British anatomist and obstetrician

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• hunterlike
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• hunters
  plural

Etymology

Origin of hunter

First recorded in 1200–50; Middle English huntere; see hunt, -er ¹

Explanation

A hunter is someone who seeks, pursues, or looks for something. Some hunters hunt deer but if you're a bargain hunter, you love to search department stores and yard sales for really good deals. Besides hunting for bargains, or for ghosts in her grandparents' attic, a hunter is also a person who enjoys the sport of pursuing and killing game animals and birds. Some hunters hunt for food, while others do it for fun. In Old English, the word was hunta, from huntian, "chase game," which is related to hentan, "to seize."

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

hunter Hunter hunters

Fun fact: The movie’s director, Michael Sarnoski, loves a prickly hero: He also made “Pig,” which stars Nicolas Cage as a gruff truffle hunter.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 6, 2026

This would have served as an important feeding ground in the summer for animals such as mammoth, bison, horse, elk, and reindeer, and would have in turn drawn hunter gatherers toward the area.

From BBC ● Jun. 1, 2026

The actor said he's enjoying playing a range of roles, including Lobo, the intergalactic bounty hunter in the upcoming "Supergirl" film, which he described as "a childhood dream."

From Barron's ● Jun. 1, 2026

The species had adaptations linked to especially powerful jaw and neck muscles, making it a formidable hunter.

From Science Daily ● May 23, 2026

Mr. Huxley and the notorious treasure hunter Eriq LeVisqueux came crawling out right behind her.

From "The Smartest Kid in the Universe" by Chris Grabenstein

The Dodgers added two backstops they’re already familiar with in Ben Rortvedt and Hunter Feduccia.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 4, 2026

England's Hunter Bell dominated the field to add Commonwealth gold to the 1500m world indoor title she won earlier this year in Poland.

From BBC ● Jul. 31, 2026

Investors’ muted reaction to the earnings suggests they are digesting the new strategy, Hunter says.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 31, 2026

They have four adult children Lauren, Hunter, Colton and Kaeden, a former Texas A&M star who was selected in the third round of the 2025 MLB draft by the New York Yankees.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 26, 2026

Hunter slipped his hand under the baby’s blanket to see if its heart was going.

From "Jazz" by Toni Morrison

He suggested that fossil hunters can sometimes be secretive about their process, especially the location of their finds.

From BBC ● Jul. 30, 2026

“So we’re seeing these kinds of rapid changes in the ocean and our commercial fisheries are having to deal with these changes much sooner” than hunters or farmers on land, he said.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 29, 2026

Adobe’s stock may be cheap, but that doesn’t necessarily make it an attractive buy for bargain hunters, according to Bank of America.

From MarketWatch ● Jul. 7, 2026

Pawnshops thrive when budgets tighten, offering a venue for budget-conscious sellers to unload items and bargain hunters to find deals.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 6, 2026

The twelve treasure hunters made their way through the lobby and into the motel office.

From "Mr. Lemoncello's Library Olympics" by Chris Grabenstein