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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Origin of headhunting

First recorded in 1850–55; head + hunting

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2022

How to use headhunting in a sentence

The gunman hardly broke stride as he nonetheless shot Merabet in the head, killing him.
The Muslim Cop Killed by Terrorists|Michael Daly|January 9, 2015|DAILY BEAST
The scheme has been condemned by civil liberties groups and queried by the National Association of Head Teachers.
Britain May Spy on Preschoolers Searching for Potential Jihadis|Nico Hines|January 7, 2015|DAILY BEAST
He closed his eyes, imagining the virgins, imagining away the pain in his head and groin.
Powerful Congressman Writes About ‘Fleshy Breasts’|Asawin Suebsaeng|January 7, 2015|DAILY BEAST
I think all the traveling and all the nationalities put that stuff in my head.
Coffee Talk with Fred Armisen: On ‘Portlandia,’ Meeting Obama, and Taylor Swift’s Greatness|Marlow Stern|January 7, 2015|DAILY BEAST

“I usually see people head to the stationary bikes,” Steinbrick says.
How to Survive the New Year ‘Gympocalypse’|Tim Teeman|January 6, 2015|DAILY BEAST
Madame Ratignolle, more careful of her complexion, had twined a gauze veil about her head.
The Awakening and Selected Short Stories|Kate Chopin
Only in the carnage of the head, the tilt of the chin, was the insolence expressed that had made her many enemies.
Ancestors|Gertrude Atherton
Old Mrs. Wurzel and the buxom but not too well-favoured heiress of the house of Grains were at the head of the table.
The Pit Town Coronet, Volume I (of 3)|Charles James Wills
She sat straight up in bed, and jerked her hands to her head, and screamed long and terribly.
The Homesteader|Oscar Micheaux
A fancy came into my head that I would entertain the king and queen with an English tune upon this instrument.
Gulliver's Travels|Jonathan Swift

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