scavenger hunt

American  

noun

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.

---

scavenger hunt British  

noun

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

---

Etymology

Origin of scavenger hunt

An Americanism dating back to 1935–40

Compare meaning

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

• scavenger hunt vs. treasure hunt

Example Sentences

Finding the best pint in a given city has become a digital scavenger hunt.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 19, 2026

At one man's request, the agency devised a "Mission Impossible" production for an adventurous young woman: an iPad delivered in the morning launched a scavenger hunt across Paris by sidecar and by boat.

From Barron's • Feb. 12, 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 point of a scavenger hunt is not to produce anything of value; the items on the list don’t add up to any coherent, meaningful narrative.

From Slate • Aug. 13, 2025

“If those men want the book that badly, then whatever Mr. Griswold’s scavenger hunt leads to must be valuable. He wouldn’t want those men to have it.”

From "Book Scavenger" by Jennifer Chambliss Bertman