(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
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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
Khan told the Commons on Wednesday that the force had "never caved into community pressure" and described calls for Guildford to be sacked as a "witch hunt".
From BBC • Jan. 14, 2026
“What we’re seeing is a witch hunt against lesbians,” she said.
From The Wall Street Journal • Oct. 31, 2025
The pardon preempts that sort of actual witch hunt.
From Los Angeles Times • Dec. 6, 2024
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
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.
