manhunt
Americannoun
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an intensive search for a criminal, suspect, escaped convict, etc., as by law enforcement agencies.
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an intensive search for any person.
noun
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Etymology
Origin of manhunt
Explanation
When police assemble a team to search for a criminal, it's called a manhunt, even if the person they're looking for is a woman. After an armed bank robbery or a prison escape is reported, the local police department sometimes launches a manhunt to search for the perpetrator. The crime that's been committed has to be fairly serious to result in a manhunt, because it requires extra officers. In some cases, the FBI might even get involved in a manhunt.
Vocabulary lists containing manhunt
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
After he was arrested, the Crumbleys went on the run and were caught only after an extensive manhunt.
From Salon • May 22, 2026
At one point involving around 450 police officers, the manhunt was one of the "most significantly resourced police operations" in Australian history, Bush said.
From Barron's • Mar. 30, 2026
“The manhunt of the main individual that can give you all the answers be prepared to go international,” the letter reads, according to Levin.
From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 14, 2026
He disappeared from the city for nine days amid a highly publicized manhunt.
From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 6, 2026
Soon he is in Maryland and, incredibly, it appears that he will escape the manhunt.
From "Lincoln's Last Days: The Shocking Assassination that Changed America Forever" by Bill O'Reilly
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
