witch-hunt
[wich-huhnt]
- to subject to a witch hunt.
Show More
Show More
Origin of witch-hunt
First recorded in 1925–30
witch hunt
or witch-hunt
[wich-huhnt]
- an intensive effort to discover and expose disloyalty, subversion, dishonesty, or the like, usually based on slight, doubtful, or irrelevant evidence.
Show More
Origin of witch hunt
First recorded in 1925–30
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018
Examples from the Web for witch-hunt
Contemporary Examples of witch-hunt
In her mind, the entire ordeal was a witch-hunt led by the local authorities.
Legal proceedings are about process; so is The Witch-Hunt Narrative.
In The Witch-Hunt Narrative, Ross E. Cheit argues the media and courts have gone too far in dismissing evidence of abuse.
What kind of witch-hunt or ‘justice denied’ results in no charges whatsoever?
witch-hunt
- a rigorous campaign to round up or expose dissenters on the pretext of safeguarding the welfare of the public
Show More
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Word Origin and History for witch-hunt
witch hunt
1630s in the literal sense; the extended sense is attested from 1932 (in witch-hunting), popularized in Cold War anti-Communist hysteria.
Show More
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper