(in historical use) the investigation, trial, and punishment of alleged practitioners of witchcraft.
an intensive inquiry, originally or purportedly to discover and expose dishonesty, subversion, or other wrongdoing, the scope and conclusions of which often include and bring harm to innocent persons or their reputations through reliance on hearsay or circumstantial evidence.
First recorded in 1885–90 witch hunt for def. 1; in 1935–40 witch hunt for def. 2; and in 1945–50 witch hunt for def. 3; the gerund witch-hunting was first recorded in 1635–40
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
In a statement, she denounced the process as unfair, saying the Ethics Committee "refused my new attorney's reasonable request for time to prepare my defense" and describing the proceedings as "a witch hunt."
From Barron's ● Apr. 21, 2026
“They did this giant witch hunt sweep and effectively changed the lives of 30 people and all the people that depend on them.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 7, 2026
A spokesperson for Sultana said: "This witch hunt is indefensible - we must build a party that welcomes all socialists."
From BBC ● Nov. 29, 2025
“What we’re seeing is a witch hunt against lesbians,” she said.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 31, 2025
As the interview continued, there emerged all the contours of the battle, the idea that Reggie’s the victim of zealous prosecutors, a veritable witch hunt.
From "A Deadly Wandering: A Mystery, a Landmark Investigation, and the Astonishing Science of Attention in the Digital Age" by Matt Richtel
“Good Night, and Good Luck,” a deft stage translation of the movie chronicling CBS newsman Murrow’s heroic stand against Sen. Joseph McCarthy’s communist witch-hunt, may not have made the playwriting cut.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 1, 2025
After initially remaining defiant and denouncing a witch-hunt driven by "fake feminism", the federation president eventually resigned, before legal charges were brought against him.
From BBC ● Feb. 2, 2025
In the summer of 2021, after six years of lobbying by a coalition of witch-hunt survivors, nongovernmental organizations, academics and lawyers, the United Nations passed a resolution condemning witch-hunting and ritual attacks.
From Scientific American ● May 31, 2023
She often barges into police stations demanding action on witch-hunt cases and scolds village heads over the phone.
From New York Times ● May 13, 2023
The last thing we need in the twentieth century, she wrote, is another witch-hunt.
From "Geeks: How Two Lost Boys Rode the Internet Out of Idaho" by Jon Katz
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.
