scavenger hunt

American  

noun

• scavenger hunts
  plural

1. a game in which individuals or teams are sent out to accumulate, without purchasing, a series of common, outlandish, or humorous objects, the winner being the person or team returning first with all the items.

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scavenger hunt British  

noun

1. a game in which players are required to collect an assortment of miscellaneous items: usually played outdoors

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• scavenger hunts
  plural

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Etymology

Origin of scavenger hunt

An Americanism dating back to 1935–40

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Compare meaning

How does scavenger-hunt compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:

• scavenger hunt vs. treasure hunt

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

scavenger hunt

There was a tour of the foundry and museum, and a murder-mystery scavenger hunt.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 19, 2026

At Lakehouse, the interns spent two hours on “Mission KPMG,” a scavenger hunt with eight activities, including separating AI-generated fact from fiction, as well as matching the firm’s AI tools to the best-use case.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 24, 2026

It’s the reason meal kits feel so soothing — everything ready, nothing frantic, no mid-recipe scavenger hunt for a missing clove of garlic.

From Salon ● Dec. 20, 2025

The death file prevents the scavenger hunt that most families have to go on to find stuff.

From Barron's ● Nov. 9, 2025

Echoes persisted of the 1986 crash, when the area had become a scavenger hunt for repossessed Lear jets, Mercedeses, mobile homes, oil rigs, ranches, and two-bedroom houses with walls so thin they seemed translucent.

From "Friday Night Lights: A Town, A Team, And A Dream" by H.G. Bissinger

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