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• hunter
  hunter

  noun

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

  noun

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

hunter

¹ American  

[huhn-ter] / ˈhʌn tər /

noun

• hunters
  plural

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

Derived Forms

• hunterlike
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• hunters
  plural

Etymology

Origin of hunter

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

Explanation

A hunter is someone who seeks, pursues, or looks for something. Some hunters hunt deer but if you're a bargain hunter, you love to search department stores and yard sales for really good deals. Besides hunting for bargains, or for ghosts in her grandparents' attic, a hunter is also a person who enjoys the sport of pursuing and killing game animals and birds. Some hunters hunt for food, while others do it for fun. In Old English, the word was hunta, from huntian, "chase game," which is related to hentan, "to seize."

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

hunter Hunter hunters

Along the way she teams up with Ruthye Marye Knoll, played by Ridley, and bounty hunter Lobo, played by Jason Momoa.

From BBC ● Jun. 26, 2026

His character, a blue-skinned bounty hunter, only tangentially slots into the plot.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 24, 2026

The actor said he's enjoying playing a range of roles, including Lobo, the intergalactic bounty hunter in the upcoming "Supergirl" film, which he described as "a childhood dream."

From Barron's ● Jun. 1, 2026

The species had adaptations linked to especially powerful jaw and neck muscles, making it a formidable hunter.

From Science Daily ● May 23, 2026

There’s a unicorn horn and a Merperson tail on display on a wall, like a hunter would display a deer’s antlers.

From "The Manifestor Prophecy" by Angie Thomas

On Thursday, the Rams traded Hunter, a 2025 fourth-round draft pick, to the Miami Dolphins for receiver Tutu Atwell, who played five seasons for the Rams before signing with the Dolphins last March.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 28, 2026

Study co-authors include FAU medical students Hunter Scott and John Dunn, along with Yanna Willett, a doctoral student at the University of Oxford in the United Kingdom.

From Science Daily ● Aug. 27, 2026

On Thursday, the Rams traded second-year running back Jarquez Hunter to the Miami Dolphins in exchange for Atwell, the team announced.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 27, 2026

Stacy's family now prefer her to be remembered by her pre-marriage surname Hunter, rather than her husband's name Mair.

From BBC ● Aug. 25, 2026

Or snuggling on the sofa with a golden dog I named Hunter.

From "The Adoration of Jenna Fox" by Mary E. Pearson

“If I dont get it refunded I will not be able to purchase tickets to the actual ‘K pop demon hunters show,’” the email read.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 20, 2026

Its waters supported giant turtles and crocodylians, while an extraordinary collection of hunters prowled the surrounding shores.

From Science Daily ● Aug. 19, 2026

Janet Garrison, a dirt-bike-riding grandmother who taught information technology at the local community college, downloaded an app used by hunters to map the plots being acquired.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 16, 2026

“What’s especially notable is how financially prepared these buyers are,” Hannah Jones, a senior economist at Realtor.com, said in a statement of house hunters in the hot ZIP codes.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 11, 2026

Alternatively, hunters may have caught and ‘adopted’ a lamb, fattening it during the months of plenty and slaughtering it in the leaner season.

From "Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind" by Yuval Noah Harari