Definition

Noun: 1. The act of following a person or animal persistently and stealthily, often causing fear or distress: This is the primary modern meaning, referring to unwanted, obsessive attention and harassment directed at one person by another. 2. The act of pursuing game stealthily: This is a traditional hunting term for the method of carefully following an animal to get close enough for a shot.

Usage and Examples

• Noun (Criminal/Harassing Behavior):
  • The victim reported months of stalking by her former partner.
  • Cyberstalking is a serious crime that involves using the internet to harass someone.
  • The new law provides stronger protections against stalking.
• Noun (Hunting Technique):
  • The hunter was an expert in the quiet art of stalking deer through the forest.
  • Stalking requires immense patience and knowledge of the animal's habits.

Advanced Usage and Notes

• Legal Context: In legal terminology, "stalking" is a criminal offense defined by a pattern of behavior that causes a reasonable person to fear for their safety.
• Figurative Use: The word can be used figuratively to describe a slow, deliberate, and quiet approach.
  • The fog was stalking through the empty streets.

Variants and Related Words

• Stalk (verb): The action from which the noun is derived.
  • He was arrested for trying to stalk the celebrity. (Harassment)
  • The cat stalked the bird. (Hunting)
• Stalker (noun): A person who engages in stalking.
• Deerstalking (noun): A specific term for the hunting of deer by stealth.

Synonyms

• (For harassment): Harassment, persecution, shadowing.
• (For hunting): Tracking, pursuing, stealth hunting.

Related Phrases

• Stalking horse:
  • A screen or pretext used to conceal one's true intentions.
  • A horse behind which a hunter hides while stalking game.
• Stalking victim: A person who is being stalked.

Noun

1. the act of following prey stealthily
2. a hunt for game carried on by following it stealthily or waiting in ambush