bloodhound

[bluhd-hound]

See more synonyms for bloodhound on Thesaurus.com

noun

one of a breed of medium- to large-sized dogs, usually having a black-and-tan coat, very long ears, loose skin, and an acute sense of smell: used chiefly for following human scents.
a person who is a steadfast pursuer.

Origin of bloodhound

First recorded in 1300–50, bloodhound is from the Middle English word blod-hound. See blood, hound¹

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Related Words for bloodhound

sleuth, gumshoe, reporter, agent, spy, informer, prosecutor, cop, eavesdropper, tail, investigator, sleuthhound, flatfoot, dick, tracker, bloodhound, fink, eye, snoop, scout

Examples from the Web for bloodhound

Historical Examples of bloodhound

Upon it, in great white letters, was painted the name, "The Bloodhound."
Howard Pyle's Book of Pirates
Howard Pyle
Old Jeff Hooker had a bloodhound, and Tom was going to borrow him.
Tom Sawyer, Detective
Mark Twain (Samuel Clemens)
The bloodhound was with him; he had sent home for it since the attempted riot.
The Christian
Hall Caine
In perceiving these things I have the scent of a bloodhound.
The Works of Guy de Maupassant, Volume VIII.
Guy de Maupassant
Any officer, coming upon that trail, would run it up like a bloodhound.
Red Cap Tales
Samuel Rutherford Crockett

British Dictionary definitions for bloodhound

bloodhound

noun

a large breed of hound having a smooth glossy coat of red, tan, or black and loose wrinkled skin on its head: formerly much used in tracking and police work
informal a detective

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

Word Origin and History for bloodhound

also blood-hound, type of large dog used in hunting, c.1300, from blood (n.) + hound (n.).