happy hunting ground

noun

plural happy hunting grounds

1

: a favorable or profitable area of activity or exploitation

Some mantises … now seem to view hummingbird feeders as happy hunting grounds.

—Natalie Angier

2

dated, offensive

—used usually by non-Indigenous people to refer to a paradisiacal afterlife in allusions to or characterizations of North American Indigenous beliefs

Examples of happy hunting ground in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Brighton need three points to stay within touching distance of Bournemouth above them, but Elland Road might not be a happy hunting ground for the visitors. — Graham Ruthven, New York Times, 15 May 2026

The Gtech Community Stadium has not been a happy hunting ground for Chelsea in recent years, having failed to win in any of their last three visits to the ground. — Kilty Cleary, MSNBC Newsweek, 13 Sep. 2025

With nearly 50,000 examples made and more than 46,000 of those sold in the United States over four years, the 560 SL offers a happy hunting ground for drivers seeking a classic convertible with the creature comforts of a near-contemporary car. — Robert Ross, Robb Report, 16 May 2025

Everton’s Goodison Park stadium hasn’t always been a happy hunting ground for Manchester City. — Zak Garner-Purkis, Forbes.com, 20 Apr. 2025

While those conditions rendered much of the land a not-very-happy hunting ground, the temnospondyls’ generalist approach served them well. — Paul Smaglik, Discover Magazine, 4 Mar. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1823, in the meaning defined at sense 2

Rhymes for happy hunting ground

• abound
• aground
• around
• astound
• background
• campground
• clothbound
• confound
• earthbound
• eastbound
• expound
• fairground