stalking
Học thuậtThân thiện
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
- the act of following prey stealthily
- a hunt for game carried on by following it stealthily or waiting in ambush