haunt
Americanverb (used with object)
-
haunts,
present (3rd person singular)
-
haunted,
past participle, past
-
haunting
present participle
-
to visit habitually or appear to frequently as a spirit or ghost.
to haunt a house; to haunt a person.
-
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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haunts,
present (3rd person singular)
-
haunted,
past participle, past
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haunting
present participle
-
to reappear continually as a spirit or ghost.
-
to visit habitually or regularly.
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to remain persistently; loiter; stay; linger.
noun
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haunts
plural
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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
-
(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
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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hauntsimple
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hauntssimple
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have hauntedperfect
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has hauntedperfect
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am hauntingprogressive
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are hauntingprogressive
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is hauntingprogressive
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have been hauntingperfect progressive
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has been hauntingperfect progressive
Past
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hauntedsimple
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had hauntedperfect
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was hauntingprogressive
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were hauntingprogressive
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had been hauntingperfect progressive
Future
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; see home
Explanation
The verb to haunt means to appear as a ghost or some kind of supernatural phenomenon. Ebenezer Scrooge was haunted by the Ghosts of Christmases Past, Present and Future. The first recorded usage of the word haunt is in William Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream, a play filled with supernatural characters running around scaring the knickers off each other. As Shakespeare knew, haunting is at its most effective in the passive voice, because there is much more drama in being haunted than haunting. Another use of the word haunt is as a noun, and it means "a place that is frequented often," like a popular hangout. The gym, a bar, a corner: these are all potential haunts. The dentist, the principal’s office, a busy intersection: these are not.
Vocabulary lists containing haunt
The Grim Reader: Wicked Words of Grave Importance for Halloween
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
"Macbeth" Vocabulary from Act I
Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!
Uncanny, Creepy, or Downright Scary: Words For Halloween
Want to remember this word for good? Start your learning journey today with our library of interactive, themed word lists built by the experts at Vocabulary.com – we'll help you make the most of your study time!
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.
See Examples For:
The Yankees were clinging to a 1-0 lead in the fifth inning when Boston’s rookie manager, Chad Tracy, made a choice that will haunt New England all winter long.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 1, 2026
Joseph’s tenacity could come back to haunt his company, which clashed with California regulators over how it handled claims and other issues.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 4, 2026
Philosophers call this tendency “hauntology”: Political ideas and movements may die, but they continue to haunt our present.
From Salon ● Aug. 28, 2026
As Carragher said: "They have to sort the goalkeeping issue out because it's going to come back and haunt them again this season as it did tonight."
From BBC ● Aug. 24, 2026
Once Prince Dain is the High King, his spies can haunt the shadows of Elfhame with only Dain himself to keep us in check.
From "The Cruel Prince" by Holly Black
Many of the city's old storied haunts are closed.
From Barron's ● Aug. 18, 2026
She said that the case "still haunts" her.
From BBC ● Aug. 5, 2026
But Dwight, now dead, haunts Julia right back.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 28, 2026
The question haunts “Remake” — he includes an indelible sequence from “Sherman’s March” in which his longtime friend Charleen upbraids him for always having the camera out.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 16, 2026
Some dark knowledge haunts my men, something they aren't willing to tell me.
From "An Ember in the Ashes" by Sabaa Tahir
At least one suspect remains at large, and the fallout has haunted City Hall for weeks.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 3, 2026
Antonelli's first season in F1 was haunted by an incident that happened the first time he drove on a grand prix weekend.
From BBC ● Sep. 23, 2026
Global fund managers are being haunted by a new worry — the possibility that bond yields could shoot higher in a “disorderly” manner, stoking volatility that potentially spills over into stocks and the broader economy.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 15, 2026
"Widow's Bay" stars Matthew Rhys as a wacky New England mayor who is trying to boost tourism on his island, which residents believe is haunted.
From Barron's ● Sep. 12, 2026
Vague memories of her dreams haunted Natalie as she blinked and rubbed her eyes.
From "Two Degrees" by Alan Gratz
Yet the image of the male Viking warrior stubbornly lingers, drawing crowds while also haunting the galleries like a restless specter.
From Science Daily ● Sep. 23, 2026
In this case, the “fragment” was “The Unanswered Question,” Ives’s haunting meditation on existence, with a questing trumpet at its center.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 8, 2026
With a beveled chord progression and a haunting repetition of the name, it became perhaps her most requested song, and was covered by many, including the White Stripes, Candi Staton, Reba McEntire and Olivia Newton-John.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 25, 2026
Here is a writer and director with not just plenty on his mind, but the preternatural proficiency to execute those ideas in haunting, humorous and really quite moving ways.
From Salon ● Aug. 24, 2026
Grim, Father and Caesar look warily at the black line, shaped like a twisting, haunting overgrown snake.
From "Will’s Race for Home" by Jewell Parker Rhodes
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.
