First recorded in 1665–75
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
"I urged him if he is to become prime minister to actually do something to protect animals, whether to finally end fox hunting for good or committing to a complete end to the Badger cull."
From BBC ● Jun. 19, 2026
McDonald dismissed any suggestions that the leadership was losing its grip on the party, and said the vote on fox hunting demonstrated how members are the ones who set policy.
From BBC ● Apr. 25, 2026
"Farmers get a lot of stick, with some believing that the life of a farmer is all about driving four-wheel drives, going shooting every other day and fox hunting," he added.
From BBC ● Oct. 10, 2024
He loved horseback riding, fox hunting and trying different restaurants, he said.
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 26, 2024
They laughed when Obinze said, “I don’t understand why fox hunting is such a big issue in this country. Aren’t there more important things?”
From "Americanah" by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
A keen-animal lover, she was also one of the few Conservative MPs who opposed fox-hunting.
From BBC ● Jul. 10, 2026
The whips - a term with its roots in fox-hunting that dates back to 1742 - are widely known to use threats and sometimes offers of promotion to get lawmakers to support the party line.
From Reuters ● Jan. 20, 2022
All through law school, I thought that Nancy Boxley from Virginia was in the fox-hunting crowd.
From Slate ● Jul. 21, 2020
Joseph B. Thomas leased Burrland from 1911 to 1912, during which time he operated it as a fox-hunting inn.
From Washington Post ● Jan. 2, 2020
It was nothing like badger-digging or covert-shooting or fox-hunting today.
From "The Once and Future King" by T. H. White
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.
