hunt

[ huhnt ]

/ hʌnt /

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verb (used with object)

to chase or search for (game or other wild animals) for the purpose of catching or killing.

to pursue with force, hostility, etc., in order to capture (often followed by down): They hunted him down and hanged him.

to search for; seek; endeavor to obtain or find (often followed by up or out): to hunt up the most promising candidates for the position.

to search (a place) thoroughly.

to scour (an area) in pursuit of game.

to use or direct (a horse, hound, etc.) in chasing game.

Change Ringing. to alter the place of (a bell) in a hunt.

verb (used without object)

to engage in the pursuit, capture, or killing of wild animals for food or in sport.

to make a search or quest (often followed by for or after).

Change Ringing. to alter the place of a bell in its set according to certain rules.

noun

an act or practice of hunting game or other wild animals.

a search; a seeking or endeavor to find.

a pursuit.

a group of persons associated for the purpose of hunting; an association of hunters.

an area hunted over.

Change Ringing. a regularly varying order of permutations in the ringing of a group of from five to twelve bells.

OTHER WORDS FOR hunt

1 pursue, track.

See synonyms for hunt on Thesaurus.com

QUIZ

THINGAMABOB OR THINGUMMY: CAN YOU DISTINGUISH BETWEEN THE US AND UK TERMS IN THIS QUIZ?

Do you know the difference between everyday US and UK terminology? Test yourself with this quiz on words that differ across the Atlantic.

Question 1 of 7

In the UK, COTTON CANDY is more commonly known as…

candystring

candyfloss

candypuff

TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Origin of hunt

before 1000; (v.) Middle English hunten,Old English huntian, derivative of hunta hunter, akin to hentan to pursue; (noun) Middle English, derivative of the v.

OTHER WORDS FROM hunt

hunt·a·ble, adjectivehunt·ed·ly, adverbouthunt, verb (used with object)o·ver·hunt, verb (used with object)

un·hunt·a·ble, adjectiveun·hunt·ed, adjective

Words nearby hunt

hunks, hunky, hunky-dory, Hunnish, Huns, hunt, hunt and peck, huntaway, hunt board, hunt button, hunt down

Other definitions for hunt (2 of 2)

Hunt

[ huhnt ]

/ hʌnt /

noun

(James Henry) Leigh

[lee], /li/, 1784–1859, English essayist, poet, and editor.

Richard Morris, 1828–95, U.S. architect.

(William) Holman

[hohl-muhn], /ˈhoʊl mən/, 1827–1910, English painter.

William Morris, 1824–79, U.S. painter (brother of Richard Morris Hunt).

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

How to use hunt in a sentence

NSO sells Pegasus with the same pitch arms dealers use to sell conventional weapons, positioning it as a crucial aid in the hunt for terrorists and criminals.
Inside NSO, Israel’s billion-dollar spyware giant|Tate Ryan-Mosley|August 19, 2020|MIT Technology Review
Lawrence Corey, a virologist from Fred Hutchinson who was tapped by Warp Speed in July to head the US trials, says the vaccine hunt is moving quickly because scientists have been “planning for success.”
Every country wants a covid-19 vaccine. Who will get it first?|Katie McLean|August 13, 2020|MIT Technology Review
The letter, from Elliott deputy John Hemmerling, didn’t just promise a leak hunt for Hargrove’s sources.
Politics Report: Mara Elliott, Plumber|Scott Lewis and Andrew Keatts|August 1, 2020|Voice of San Diego
The Arizona Diamondbacks were in the wild-card hunt a year ago and added Madison Bumgarner, Starling Marte and Kole Calhoun in the offseason to bolster their rotation and lineup.
The Dodgers Lead Our National League Predictions, But Don’t Count Out The Nats Or … Reds?|Travis Sawchik|July 22, 2020|FiveThirtyEight

Others are on the hunt for what animal the virus jumped into people from, which can help scientists understand how the virus made the jump and guide policies to monitor those animals for related coronaviruses.
Here’s what we’ve learned in six months of COVID-19 — and what we still don’t know|Erin Garcia de Jesus|June 30, 2020|Science News
The kid from next door drops by and Marvin talks to him about the stunts in his latest film, Death Hunt.
The Story Behind Lee Marvin’s Liberty Valance Smile|Robert Ward|January 3, 2015|DAILY BEAST
The Federal Duck Stamp Act raised the fee on stamps needed to hunt waterfowl on federal land from $15 to $25.
Nazis, Sunscreen, and Sea Gull Eggs: Congress in 2014 Was Hella Productive|Ben Jacobs|December 29, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Jordanian intelligence played an important role in the hunt that eventually killed Zarqawi in Iraq in 2006.
Did ISIS Shoot Down a Fighter Jet?|Jamie Dettmer, Christopher Dickey|December 24, 2014|DAILY BEAST
A team of cops swarmed the apartment in the hunt for a potential homicide suspect they believed was hiding in the residences.
Worse Than Eric Garner: Cops Who Got Away With Killing Autistic Men and Little Girls|Emily Shire|December 4, 2014|DAILY BEAST
In her mind, the entire ordeal was a witch-hunt led by the local authorities.
Whip It: Secrets of a Dominatrix|Justin Jones|November 25, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Mrs. Jolly Robin had often wished—when she was trying to feed a rapidly-growing family—that she could hunt forp.
The Tale of Grandfather Mole|Arthur Scott Bailey
When the whole hunt is hunting up, each single change is made between the whole hunt, and the next bell above it.
Tintinnalogia, or, the Art of Ringing|Richard Duckworth and Fabian Stedman
With these ten Hunts, the first change in each Peal is made by hunting the whole Hunt up.
Tintinnalogia, or, the Art of Ringing|Richard Duckworth and Fabian Stedman
This Peal (by the Rules aforesaid) may be Rang with any whole hunt, half hunt, and quarter hunt.
Tintinnalogia, or, the Art of Ringing|Richard Duckworth and Fabian Stedman
The half hunt is alwayes one of the two hindmost bells which makes every bob-change.
Tintinnalogia, or, the Art of Ringing|Richard Duckworth and Fabian Stedman

British Dictionary definitions for hunt (1 of 2)

hunt

/ (hʌnt) /

verb

to seek out and kill or capture (game or wild animals) for food or sport

(intr often foll by for) to look (for); search (for)to hunt for a book; to hunt up a friend

(tr) to use (hounds, horses, etc) in the pursuit of wild animals, game, etcto hunt a pack of hounds

(tr) to search or draw (country) to hunt wild animals, game, etcto hunt the parkland

(tr often foll by down) to track or chase diligently, esp so as to captureto hunt down a criminal

(tr; usually passive) to persecute; hound

(intr) (of a gauge indicator, engine speed, etc) to oscillate about a mean value or position

(intr) (of an aircraft, rocket, etc) to oscillate about a flight path

noun

the act or an instance of hunting

chase or search, esp of animals or game

the area of a hunt

a party or institution organized for the pursuit of wild animals or game, esp for sport

the participants in or members of such a party or institution

in the hunt informal having a chance of successthat result keeps us in the hunt See also hunt down, hunt up

Derived forms of hunt

huntedly, adverb

Word Origin for hunt

Old English huntian; related to Old English hentan, Old Norse henda to grasp

British Dictionary definitions for hunt (2 of 2)

Hunt

/ (hʌnt) /

noun

Henry, known as Orator Hunt . 1773–1835, British radical, who led the mass meeting that ended in the Peterloo Massacre (1819)

(William) Holman. 1827–1910, British painter; a founder of the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood (1848)

James. 1947–93, British motor-racing driver: world champion 1976

(Henry Cecil) John, Baron. 1910–98, British army officer and mountaineer. He planned and led the expedition that first climbed Mount Everest (1953)

(James Henry) Leigh (liː). 1784–1859, British poet and essayist: a founder of The Examiner (1808) in which he promoted the work of Keats and Shelley

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

Other Idioms and Phrases with hunt

hunt

see happy hunting ground; high and low, (hunt); run with (the hare, hunt with the hounds).

hunt

OTHER WORDS FOR hunt

Origin of hunt

OTHER WORDS FROM hunt

Words nearby hunt

Other definitions for hunt (2 of 2)

Words related to hunt

How to use hunt in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for hunt (1 of 2)

Derived forms of hunt

Word Origin for hunt

British Dictionary definitions for hunt (2 of 2)

Other Idioms and Phrases with hunt