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.
The summer of 1886 found the artist in Honfleur, whose historic character and cobbled streets had long made it a haunt for painters, including the Impressionists, and tourists.
From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 28, 2026
These comments will probably come back to haunt her in the election campaign.
From MarketWatch • Mar. 20, 2026
Others are creating histories that will come to haunt them.
From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 10, 2026
Garbage-choked streets, overloaded landfills and the fear of trash avalanches haunt greater Jakarta, as the world's most populous metropolis grapples with a waste crisis.
From Barron's • Feb. 17, 2026
The story of the golden carp continued to haunt my dreams.
From "Bless Me, Ultima" by Rudolfo Anaya
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.
