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

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

Netflix’s fan site, Tudum, described the Tennessee-based Preece as a longtime hunter and fisherman who said he “passes on his love for the outdoors by teaching skills to youth and novice hunters each season.”

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 9, 2026

Is it better to be the hunted or the hunter?

From BBC • Mar. 4, 2026

For more than two centuries, the Jurassic Coast has yielded thousands of ichthyosaur fossils, ever since pioneering fossil hunter Mary Anning began making historic finds there.

From Science Daily • Feb. 24, 2026

In 2020, a house hunter in Boise, Ida., could peruse over 20 properties for sale before encountering one listed for $1 million or more.

From Barron's • Feb. 22, 2026

If the hunt succeeds, the hunter may ask the dead animal to forgive him.

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