headhunting

[ hed-huhn-ting ]

/ ˈhɛdˌhʌn tɪŋ /

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See synonyms for headhunting on Thesaurus.com

noun

(among certain primitive peoples) the practice of hunting down and decapitating victims and preserving their heads as trophies.

the act or practice of actively searching for new employees, especially for professionals or executives: Every June the electronics manufacturers go headhunting among the newly graduated engineers.

the act or practice of firing without cause, especially someone disliked: Their periodic headhunting was a contributing factor in the company's failures.

the act or practice of trying to destroy the power, position, or influence of one's competitors or foes: Headhunting is ferocious in advertising.

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His boss, whom he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

His boss, who he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

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Origin of headhunting

First recorded in 1850–55; head + hunting

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use headhunting in a sentence

But, thanks to Gallman, head-hunting in the Ifugao country is now a thing of the past.
The Head Hunters of Northern Luzon From Ifugao to Kalinga|Cornelis De Witt Willcox
Whenever an affair of moment is in hand, such as a funeral or a head-hunting expedition, a cañao is held.
The Head Hunters of Northern Luzon From Ifugao to Kalinga|Cornelis De Witt Willcox
But with these people head-hunting is a part of their religious belief, and so all the harder to uproot.
The Head Hunters of Northern Luzon From Ifugao to Kalinga|Cornelis De Witt Willcox
He will retire from politics, from head-hunting among the plutocrats, and will soon be a plutocrat and a palace-dweller himself.
The Fashionable Adventures of Joshua Craig|David Graham Phillips

But I hope you won't feel as if you'd got to go into the head-hunting business.
Empire Builders|Francis Lynde

British Dictionary definitions for headhunting

head-hunting

noun

the practice among certain peoples of removing the heads of slain enemies and preserving them as trophies

the recruitment, esp through an agency, of executives from one company to another, often rival, company

US slang the destruction or neutralization of political opponents

Derived forms of head-hunting

head-hunter, noun

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