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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

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; 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

Such hunting was an extremely risky business: The pelvic wound suggests that the hunter may have been directly beneath his prey, thrusting upward.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 30, 2026

Fossil hunter Daniel Hogburn said he had seen hundreds of vials on the beaches, adding, "Imagine if a child was to pick one up and, dare I say, drink it. It's disgusting."

From BBC • Apr. 30, 2026

She describes Fillmore as an extremely smart pup, well-trained and a hunter by nature.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 17, 2026

On Spero’s social media to-do list: a “slop hunter of the week leaderboard.”

From Slate • Apr. 17, 2026

To learn the habits of one’s prey was essential; every hunter knew this.

From "The Long-Lost Home" by Maryrose Wood