1 hunt | Definition of hunt

hunt

verb
\ ˈhənt How to pronounce hunt (audio) \
hunted; hunting; hunts

Definition of hunt

 (Entry 1 of 5)

transitive verb

1a : to pursue for food or in sport hunt buffalo
b : to manage in the search for game hunts a pack of dogs
2a : to pursue with intent to capture hunted the escapees
b : to search out : seek
3 : to drive or chase especially by harrying members … were hunted from their homes— J. T. Adams
4 : to traverse in search of prey hunts the woods

intransitive verb

1 : to take part in a hunt
2 : to attempt to find something
3 : to oscillate alternately to each side (as of a neutral point) or to run alternately faster and slower used especially of a device or machine

hunt

noun

Definition of hunt (Entry 2 of 5)

1 : the act, the practice, or an instance of hunting
2 : a group of mounted hunters and their hunting dogs

Hunt

biographical name (1)
\ ˈhənt How to pronounce Hunt (audio) \

Definition of Hunt (Entry 3 of 5)

(James Henry) Leigh 1784–1859 English writer

Hunt

biographical name (2)

Definition of Hunt (Entry 4 of 5)

Sir R(ichard) Timothy 1943–     British molecular biologist

Hunt

biographical name (3)

Definition of Hunt (Entry 5 of 5)

(William) Hol*man \ ˈhōl-​mən How to pronounce ˈhōl-mən (audio)\ 1827–1910 English painter

Keep scrolling for more

Synonyms for hunt

Synonyms: Verb

chase, stalk

Synonyms: Noun

quest, search

Visit the Thesaurus for More 

Examples of hunt in a Sentence

Verb

The wolf was hunting its prey. These birds have been hunted almost to extinction. a gun used for hunting squirrels He likes to hunt and fish. She hunted around in the closet for a pair of shoes. Police hunted the escaped prisoners through several states.

Noun

They went on a hunt. We finally found a good restaurant after a long hunt.
See More

Recent Examples on the Web: Verb

Peyerk paid $400,000 to an anti-poaching program to receive permission to hunt the male rhino bull inside a Namibian national park in May 2018. Fox News, "Trump admin to allow trophy hunter to import rare black rhino parts to US," 7 Sep. 2019 Peyerk paid $400,000 to an anti-poaching program to receive permission to hunt the male rhino bull inside a Namibian national park in May 2018. NBC News, "Trophy hunter who paid $400G for rhino kill allowed to import remains by Trump admin," 6 Sep. 2019 Peyerk paid $400,000 to an anti-poaching program to receive permission to hunt the male rhino bull inside a Namibian national park in May 2018. Michael Biesecker, Detroit Free Press, "Shelby Township trophy hunter to import body of rare black rhino," 6 Sep. 2019 It was widely used by authorities to legally form posses to hunt outlaws. Cnn.com Wire Service, The Mercury News, "It’s no longer a crime in California not to help a police officer," 5 Sep. 2019 Without any ground-level prey on the island, the snakes learned to hunt in the treetops and strike at birds from the air. Caitlin Morton, Condé Nast Traveler, "Creepy Catacombs, Islands of Dolls, and 18 Other Terrifying Places for Thrill Seekers," 4 Sep. 2019 Even as the worth of dolphins, dead or alive, continues to drop, the 26 fishermen granted permits by the government to hunt Taiji’s dolphins continue to take part in the annual hunt to support their community’s livelihood, according to ABC News. Kelli Bender, PEOPLE.com, "Controversial Dolphin Hunt, Likely to Leave 1,400 Dolphins Captured or Killed, Begins in Japan," 3 Sep. 2019 The Park Service fenced off watering holes on the North Rim to try to force the bison into the national forest, where they legally can be hunted. Felicia Fonseca, Washington Post, "Grand Canyon to make second run at corralling bison herd," 2 Sep. 2019 Hecht was particularly interested in the differences between dogs bred for sight hunting and those that hunt by scent. Eva Frederick, Science | AAAS, "Humans haven’t just changed what dogs look like—we’ve altered the very structure of their brains," 2 Sep. 2019

Recent Examples on the Web: Noun

Four years ago, the state held its first bear hunt in 21 years. Craig Pittman, orlandosentinel.com, "No Florida bear hunt in 2019, but it could happen again in 2020," 3 Sep. 2019 Left-hander Dillon Overton matched a rehabbing Johnny Cueto with six shutout innings, helping the Chihuahuas pick up ground in its playoff hunt with a 3-0 win at Sacramento on Saturday night. Jeff Sanders, San Diego Union-Tribune, "Minors: El Paso gains ground; Edwuin Bencomo wins Storm debut," 1 Sep. 2019 While the Giants have faded to long-shot status in their own wild-card hunt, falling too many games behind too many good teams, the A’s are playing the best baseball in the major leagues. Ann Killion, SFChronicle.com, "Playoffs looming in surging A’s future," 24 Aug. 2019 Since its hunt for a leader began, the company has lost almost $24 billion in market value. Hannah Levitt, Los Angeles Times, "As Wells Fargo seeks a new CEO, it loses $24 billion in market value," 20 Aug. 2019 Indigenous trackers already began calling out the girl's name early Thursday in their hunt. NBC News, "Mom's voice recording to play in Malaysian jungle in search for 15-year-old London girl," 9 Aug. 2019 Indigenous trackers already began calling out the girl’s name early Thursday in their hunt. Washington Post, "Malaysian trackers use mom’s voice in London girl’s search," 9 Aug. 2019 But those who know him best as the intrepid treasure-hunter from National Treasure may be delighted to know that the actor once went on his own real-life treasure hunt. Christian Holub, EW.com, "Nicolas Cage apparently once went searching for the Holy Grail," 7 Aug. 2019 On Tuesday, a search team with more than 170 people, including a helicopter and sniffer dogs, expanded their hunt for Nora Anne Quoirin, 15, who was last seen in her bedroom at the Dusun eco-resort in southern Negeri Sembilan state Saturday night. Fox News, "British teen with special needs vanishes from Malaysian resort; family, police at odds over foul play," 6 Aug. 2019

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'hunt.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

See More

First Known Use of hunt

Verb

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1a

Noun

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

History and Etymology for hunt

Verb

Middle English, from Old English huntian; akin to Old English hentan to seize

Keep scrolling for more

Keep s