hunter

¹ American  

[huhn-ter] / ˈhʌn tər /

noun

1. a person who hunts game or other wild animals for food or in sport.

2. a person who searches for or seeks something.

   a fortune hunter.

3. a horse specially trained for quietness, stamina, and jumping ability in hunting.

4. an animal, as a dog, trained to hunt game.

5. Astronomy. Hunter, the constellation Orion.

6. Also called hunting watch.  a watch with a hunting case.

7. hunter green.

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Hunter ² American  

[huhn-ter] / ˈhʌn tər /

noun

1. John, 1728–93, Scottish surgeon, physiologist, and biologist.

2. Robert Mercer Taliaferro 1809–87, U.S. political leader: Speaker of the House 1839–41.

3. a male given name.

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hunter ¹ British  

/ ˈhʌntə /

noun

1. Female equivalent: huntress.  a person or animal that seeks out and kills or captures game

2. 1. a person who looks diligently for something

   2. ( in combination )

      a fortune-hunter

3. a specially bred horse used in hunting, usually characterized by strength and stamina

4. a specially bred dog used to hunt game

5. Also called: hunting watch.  a watch with a hinged metal lid or case ( hunting case ) to protect the crystal See also half-hunter

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Hunter ² British  

/ ˈhʌntə /

noun

1. John. 1728–93, British physician, noted for his investigation of venereal and other diseases

2. his brother, William. 1718–83, British anatomist and obstetrician

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Other Word Forms

• hunterlike adjective

Etymology

Origin of hunter

First recorded in 1200–50; Middle English huntere; hunt, -er ¹

Example Sentences

Costs have eased, meaning house hunters could return in force this spring.

From Barron's

According to local legend, some boys in the area had discovered fossils and brought them to the attention of Bearden fossil hunter Stan Wood, at that time working at the Hunterian Museum in Glasgow.

From BBC

“Online the term used for it is ‘hunter eyes,’ ” said Doft.

From The Wall Street Journal

The S&P 500 index’s 16% jump in 2025 has left many corners of the market looking pricey for a bargain hunter like Berkshire.

From The Wall Street Journal

Some species were small, squid-eating hunters measuring less than 1 m long, while others were enormous apex predators exceeding 5 m in length.

From Science Daily