haunt
Americanverb (used with object)
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to visit habitually or appear to frequently as a spirit or ghost.
to haunt a house; to haunt a person.
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to recur persistently to the consciousness of; remain with.
Memories of love haunted him.
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to visit frequently; go to often.
He haunted the galleries and bars that the artists went to.
- Synonyms:
- frequent
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to frequent the company of; be often with.
He haunted famous men, hoping to gain celebrity for himself.
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to disturb or distress; cause to have anxiety; trouble; worry.
His youthful escapades came back to haunt him.
verb (used without object)
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to reappear continually as a spirit or ghost.
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to visit habitually or regularly.
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to remain persistently; loiter; stay; linger.
noun
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Often haunts. a place frequently visited.
to return to one's old haunts.
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Chiefly Midland and Southern U.S. and North England. a ghost.
verb
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to visit (a person or place) in the form of a ghost
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(tr) to intrude upon or recur to (the memory, thoughts, etc)
he was haunted by the fear of insanity
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to visit (a place) frequently
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to associate with (someone) frequently
noun
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(often plural) a place visited frequently
an old haunt of hers
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a place to which animals habitually resort for food, drink, shelter, etc
Other Word Forms
- haunter noun
Etymology
Origin of haunt
1200–50; Middle English haunten < Old French hanter to frequent, probably < Old Norse heimta to lead home, derivative of heim homewards; home
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Olsen: There’s a a moment in the film that I find so haunting and I’ve been trying to unravel it for myself.
From Los Angeles Times
A lurid tale of misadventure, moral bankruptcy and mean girls, “His & Hers” has other qualities, too, notably Tessa Thompson, whose recent turn in “Hedda” haunts her role in this potboiler.
In Memphis, former Grizzlies star Dillon Brooks returned to haunt his former club with 21 points for the Phoenix Suns in a 117-98 rout.
From Barron's
Altadena was where people raised chickens before it was trendy, where no one batted an eye at the neighbors with a pet dingo, or thought much about the so-called haunted road said to defy gravity.
From Los Angeles Times
Praising the show, our critic noted “For those who are unfamiliar with Ms. Iturbide’s work, this show of almost 200 pictures will be a revelation, opening a door onto her haunting and haunted visions.”
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
