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hounding

[houn-ding]
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SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR hounding ON THESAURUS.COM

noun Nautical.

the portion of a lower mast between the cheeks or hounds and the deck.
the portion of an upper mast between the cap of the mast below and the hounds above.
the part of a bowsprit projecting beyond the stem.

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RELATED WORDS

annoy, pursue, bother, pester, goad, hector, harass, persecute, heckle, curdle, rag, prod, bait, scratch, ride, hunt, drive, dog, impel, tail

Origin of hounding

First recorded in 1850–55; hound2 + -ing1

hound

1
[hound]

noun

one of any of several breeds of dogs trained to pursue game either by sight or by scent, especially one with a long face and large drooping ears.
Informal. any dog.
a mean, despicable person.
Informal. an addict or devotee: an autograph hound.
one of the pursuers in the game of hare and hounds.

verb (used with object)

to hunt or track with hounds, or as a hound does; pursue.
to pursue or harass without respite: Her little brother wouldn't stop hounding her.
to incite (a hound) to pursuit or attack; urge on.
Informal. to incite or urge (a person) to do something (usually followed by on).

Origin of hound

1
before 900; Middle English h(o)und, Old English hund; cognate with Dutch hond, Old Norse hundr, Danish, Swedish hund, German Hund, Gothic hunds; akin to Latin canis, Greek kýōn (genitive kynós), Sanskrit śván (genitive śunas), Old Irish cú (genitive con), Welsh ci (plural cwn), Tocharian A kū, Lithuanian šuõ
Related formshound·er, nounhound·ish, hound·y, adjectivehound·like, adjectiveun·hound·ed, adjective

Synonyms for hound

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR hound ON THESAURUS.COM
6. dog, follow, chase, trail; tail. 7. pester, annoy, persecute, bully.
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for hounding

Contemporary Examples of hounding

Historical Examples of hounding

British Dictionary definitions for hounding

hound

1

noun

  1. any of several breeds of dog used for hunting
  2. (in combination)an otterhound; a deerhound
the hounds a pack of foxhounds, etc
a dog, esp one regarded as annoying
a despicable person
(in hare and hounds) a runner who pursues a hare
slang, mainly US and Canadian an enthusiastan autograph hound
short for houndfish See also nursehound
ride to hounds or follow the hounds to take part in a fox hunt with hounds

verb (tr)

to pursue or chase relentlessly
to urge on
Derived Formshounder, noun

Word Origin for hound

Old English hund; related to Old High German hunt, Old Norse hundr, Gothic hunds

hound

2

noun

either of a pair of horizontal bars that reinforce the running gear of a horse-drawn vehicle
nautical either of a pair of fore-and-aft braces that serve as supports for a topmast

Word Origin for hound

C15: of Scandinavian origin; related to Old Norse hūnn knob, cube
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
Word Origin and History for hounding

hound

n.

Old English hund "dog," from Proto-Germanic *hundas (cf. Old Saxon and Old Frisian hund, Old High German hunt, German Hund, Old Norse hundr, Gothic hunds), from PIE *kuntos, dental enlargement of root *kwon- "dog" (see canine). Meaning narrowed 12c. to "dog used for hunting."

hound

v.

"hunt with hounds," 1520s, from hound (v.). Sense of "pursue relentlessly" is first recorded c.1600. Related: Hounded; hounding.

Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
Idioms and Phrases with hounding

hound

see run with (the hare, hunt with the hounds).

The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.