hunter

[huhn-ter]

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR hunter ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

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

a person who searches for or seeks something: a fortune hunter.

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

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

(initial capital letter) Astronomy. the constellation Orion.

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

hunter green.

Origin of hunter

First recorded in 1200–50, hunter is from the Middle English word huntere. See hunt, -er¹

Related formshunt·er·like, adjective

Hunter

[huhn-ter]

noun

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

Robert Mer·cer Tal·ia·ferro

[mur-ser tol-uh-ver] /ˈmɜr sər ˈtɒl ə vər/, 1809–87, U.S. political leader: Speaker of the House 1839–41.

a male given name.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Related Words for hunter

hawker, deerstalker, huntsman, sportsman, trapper, falconer, fisherman, stalker, chaser, huntress, pursuer, hound, courser, foxhound, pursuant

Examples from the Web for hunter

Contemporary Examples of hunter

In it, Kraven the Hunter tracks down Spider-Man, shoots him repeatedly, and leaves him for dead, buried underground.
Exclusive: Sony Hack Reveals Studio's Detailed Plans For Another ‘Spider-Man’ Reboot
William Boot
December 13, 2014
In 1970, Hunter S. Thompson was dispatched to report on a motorcycle race in Las Vegas.
Sneer and Clothing in Miami: Inside The $3 Billion Woodstock of Contemporary Art
Jay Michaelson
December 6, 2014
Cumberbatch and Hunter have assiduously avoided being identified as celebrity couple until now.
Meet the Future Mrs. Benedict Cumberbatch
Tom Sykes
November 5, 2014
By 2010, Hunter was directing a well received revival of Henrik Ibsen's Ghosts at Access Theatre on Broadway.
Meet the Future Mrs. Benedict Cumberbatch
Tom Sykes
November 5, 2014
McConnell had seen the sign, Hunter told me, and “he loves it!”
Mitch’s Brotastic Victory Bash
Olivia Nuzzi
November 5, 2014

Historical Examples of hunter

If the hunter fires then, over the horn, he will strike the beast's backbone.
The Leopard Woman
Stewart Edward White
But, madam, were you not saying something to me about Miss Hunter?
Tales And Novels, Volume 5 (of 10)
Maria Edgeworth
Miss Hunter applied her glass to her eye, but could not make out who it was.
Tales And Novels, Volume 5 (of 10)
Maria Edgeworth
One lion is pouncing upon a hunter, but his friends are coming to help him.
Buried Cities: Pompeii, Olympia, Mycenae
Jennie Hall
He was the warrior and hunter, and she did most of the labor, in both the house and the field.
Welsh Fairy Tales
William Elliott Griffis

British Dictionary definitions for hunter

hunter

noun

a person or animal that seeks out and kills or captures gameFemale equivalent: huntress (ˈhʌntrɪs)

a person who looks diligently for something
(in combination)a fortune-hunter

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

a specially bred dog used to hunt game

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

Hunter

noun

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

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

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 hunter

mid-13c. (attested in place names from late 12c.), from hunt + -er (1). The Old English word was hunta.

hunter in Medicine

Hunter

[hŭn′tər]John 1728-1793

British surgeon who founded pathological anatomy in England.