hound

noun \ ˈhau̇nd \

Updated on: 20 Apr 2018

Definition of hound

1 a : dog

b : a dog of any of numerous hunting breeds including both scent hounds (such as the bloodhound and beagle) and sight hounds (such as the greyhound and Afghan hound)

2 : a mean or despicable person

3 : dogfish

4 : a person who pursues like a hound; especially : one who avidly seeks or collects something

autograph hounds

See hound defined for English-language learners

See hound defined for kids

Examples of hound in a Sentence

in the yard an old hound greeted us with a single bark
a camera hound even before the baby arrived, he's now become obsessive

Recent Examples of hound from the Web

With the help of a scrappy-yet-starving pack of hounds who’ve banded together for survival, Atari sets off on a quest to find Spots.

— christopher wallenberg, BostonGlobe.com, "‘Isle of Dogs’ tells you everything you need to know about Wes Anderson’s faith in humanity.," 22 Mar. 2018
In a freak accident, an experienced hunter and dog owner has died in Russia when one of his Estonian hounds accidentally hit the trigger on a shotgun pointed at his abdomen, the New York Times reports.

— raisa bruner, Time, "A Dog Fatally Shot His Owner in the Stomach on a Hunting Trip Gone Awry," 24 Jan. 2018
Dad, keep saving your money and steer clear of all booze hounds and get plenty of sleep every night.

— jessica stahl, Washington Post, "‘Letters From War’: 1941 – The calm (full transcript)," 3 Jan. 2018
The Royer garden in Poway has statuary throughout, including hounds on the hunt, a stag peeking out at visitors and a mountain lion lurking on a tree limb in the front of the home.

— elizabeth marie himchak, Pomerado News, "Spring garden tour returns to Rancho Bernardo, Poway," 7 Mar. 2018
Buy Photo Meredith Michener noticed that her boxer hound, Leo, was the fastest dog at the dog park.

— bethany ao, Philly.com, "What's urban dog mushing? This Pennsylvania club will teach you," 6 Mar. 2018
Farmers who sustain livestock depredations and hound hunters who have their dogs killed by wolves are among the chief proponents of a lower wolf population.

— paul a. smith, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "Wolf presentation, panel slated for Sports Show," 10 Feb. 2018
Estonian hounds, while not internationally recognized as a breed by the major kennel clubs, are known to be friendly canines who love human affection.

— raisa bruner, Time, "A Dog Fatally Shot His Owner in the Stomach on a Hunting Trip Gone Awry," 24 Jan. 2018
The result is this friendly basecamp (Salida draws adrenaline hounds year-round for biking, skiing, rafting, and hiking).

— stephanie granada, Sunset, "10 Modern Motor Lodges Worth a Stay," 22 Jan. 2018

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

Origin and Etymology of hound

Middle English, from Old English hund; akin to Old High German hunt dog, Latin canis, Greek kyōn

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: before 12th century

in the meaning defined at sense 1a

See Words from the same year

hound Synonyms

hound

verb

Definition of hound

transitive verb

1 : to pursue with or as if with hounds

2 : to drive or affect by persistent harassing

—

hounder

noun

See hound defined for English-language learners

Examples of hound in a Sentence

He is being hounded by the press.
They hounded me with questions.
They hounded me for my autograph.
hound a politician out of office

Recent Examples of hound from the Web

After Gibson hounded Jokic to force an air-balled 3-point try, Jeff Teague swished a floater with 1:19 left in overtime to put the Wolves back in front for good.

— dave campbell, chicagotribune.com, "Timberwolves back in the NBA playoffs after a 14-year absence," 11 Apr. 2018
In the final seconds of regulation, Denver ran a hopeless-looking play that found Nokic hounded by Taj Gibson in the far left corner, tossing up a crazy shot that had no chance.

— bruce jenkins, San Francisco Chronicle, "Spurs’ bleak evening brings a rich reward," 11 Apr. 2018
If the group was going to the theater, Mauldin bought the tickets and hounded members to respond and pay up.

— anne m. hamilton, courant.com, "Extraordinary Life: College And Hartford Gave Her A Focus In Life," 8 Apr. 2018
The case hounded Obama’s Democratic administration, with some Republicans disappointed there wasn’t stronger action taken in the scandal.

— Washington Post, "Judge gives preliminary OK to $3.5M settlement of IRS case," 4 Apr. 2018
Chic officially moved out on his own volition, which means Betty's back at home and now hounding her mom about getting a Serpent tattoo.

— christopher rosa, Glamour, "'Riverdale' Season 2 Episode 17 Recap: Cheryl and Toni Have a Big Moment," 28 Mar. 2018
Zimbabwe under Mugabe had become a bleak place—a country with lines for food and money, more than 80 percent unemployment, and a constant fear of being hounded by the police and secret agents from the Central Intelligence Organization or CIO.

— karan mahajan, The New Republic, "After the Strongman," 26 Mar. 2018
This ought to be the primary context for any analysis of Trump’s standoff with the FBI, but instead Dershowitz wishes it away, and reimagines Trump as an innocent man hounded by a perfidious and unethical prosecutor.

— jonathan chait, Daily Intelligencer, "Alan Dershowitz’s Audition to Be Trump’s Lawyer Is Not Going Well," 21 Mar. 2018
Freshman guard Fatts Russell came off the bench to score 15 points and hound Oklahoma star Trae Young on defense as Fatts emerged as an early darling of the tournament.

— usa today sports, USA TODAY, "2018 March Madness schedule: Saturday's NCAA tournament times, TV guide, info," 17 Mar. 2018

First Known Use of hound

1528

See Words from the same year

in the meaning defined at sense 1

NEW! Time Traveler

hound Synonyms

Synonyms

bird-dog, chase, course, dog, follow, pursue, run, shadow, tag, tail, trace, track, trail;

Antonyms

guide, lead, pilot;

Near Antonyms

head;

hunt, search (for), seek;

eye, observe, watch;

Phrases

run after;

Synonym Discussion of hound

bait, badger, heckle, hector, chivy, hound mean to harass by efforts to break down. bait implies wanton cruelty or delight in persecuting a helpless victim.

- baited the chained dog

badger implies pestering so as to drive a person to confusion or frenzy.

- badgered her father for a car

heckle implies persistent annoying or belligerent interruptions of a speaker.

- drunks heckled the stand-up comic

hector carries an implication of bullying and domineering.

- football players hectored by their coach

chivy suggests persecution by teasing or nagging.

- chivied the new student mercilessly

hound implies unrelenting pursuit and harassing.

- hounded by creditors

HOUND Defined for English Language Learners

hound

noun

Definition of hound for English Language Learners

: a dog; especially : a type of dog that has a very good sense of smell and is trained to hunt
: a person who is very determined to get something especially for a collection : a very enthusiastic collector