Definition

1. Noun:

   • The pursuit and killing or capture of wild animals, especially as a sport or for food: The organized activity of tracking and taking wild animals.
   • A systematic search for something or someone: An instance of looking thoroughly in order to find something.
   • An association of people who hunt together: A group, especially in British context, that hunts game as a sport.

2. Verb:

   • To chase and try to catch or kill wild animals for food or sport: To pursue game or wildlife.
   • To search diligently for something or someone: To look for something that is lost or needed.
   • To drive or chase away forcefully: To pursue someone or something in order to remove them.
   • To oscillate or vary unsteadily around a desired point: To move back and forth or fluctuate, often in a technical context.

Examples of Usage

• Noun:

  • The fox hunt is a controversial tradition in some parts of England.
  • The police organized a massive hunt for the missing child.
  • He is a member of the local hunt.

• Verb:

  • Lions hunt in prides to catch their prey.
  • She had to hunt for her keys in her messy bag.
  • The villagers vowed to hunt the dangerous animal out of the forest.
  • The engine's RPM would hunt at idle before stabilizing.

Advanced Usage

• "to hunt down": to search for someone or something determinedly until found or caught.

  • The authorities promised to hunt down the terrorists.

• "to hunt out": to find something by searching, especially something hidden or not used for a long time.

  • I managed to hunt out that old photograph you wanted.

• "to hunt for": to try to find something.

  • He is constantly hunting for bargains at the flea market.

Variants and Related Words

• Hunter (n): A person or animal that hunts.

  • The hunter waited silently in the blind.

• Hunting (n): The activity or sport of pursuing and killing wild animals.

  • Deer hunting is popular in this region.

• Huntress (n): A female hunter.

Synonyms

• Pursue: To follow in order to catch or attack.
• Search: To look carefully to find something.
• Track: To follow the trail or marks left by someone or something.

Related Phrasal Verbs

• Hunt up: Similar to "hunt out"; to find something by searching.

  • Can you hunt up some information on that topic?

• Hunt through: To search carefully through a collection or place.

  • I had to hunt through all my files to find the document.

Related Idioms

• Hunt and peck: A method of typing using only one or two fingers, looking for each key individually.

  • I never learned to type properly; I just use the hunt and peck method.

• Witch-hunt: A campaign directed against a person or group holding unorthodox or unpopular views.

  • The political investigation was denounced as a witch-hunt.

Noun

1. the pursuit and killing or capture of wild animals regarded as a sport
2. the work of finding and killing or capturing animals for food or pelts
3. the activity of looking thoroughly in order to find something or someone
4. an instance of searching for something
   • the hunt for submarines
5. an association of huntsmen who hunt for sport
6. British writer who defended the Romanticism of Keats and Shelley (1784-1859)
7. United States architect (1827-1895)
8. Englishman and Pre-Raphaelite painter (1827-1910)

Verb

1. search (an area) for prey
   • The King used to hunt these forests
2. seek, search for
   • She hunted for her reading glasses but was unable to locate them
3. oscillate about a desired speed, position, or state to an undesirable extent
   • The oscillator hunts about the correct frequency
4. yaw back and forth about a flight path
   • the plane's nose yawed
5. chase away, with as with force
   • They hunted the unwanted immigrants out of the neighborhood
6. pursue or chase relentlessly
   • The hunters traced the deer into the woods
   • the detectives hounded the suspect until they found him
7. pursue for food or sport (as of wild animals)
   • Goering often hunted wild boars in Poland
   • The dogs are running deer
   • The Duke hunted in these woods