hound

noun

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\ ˈhau̇nd

Definition of hound

(Entry 1 of 2)

1a : 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

hound

verb

hounded; hounding; hounds

Definition of hound (Entry 2 of 2)

transitive verb

1 : to pursue with or as if with hounds

2 : to drive or affect by persistent harassing

Other Words from hound Synonyms & Antonyms Choose the Right Synonym Example Sentences Learn More about hound

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Synonyms & Antonyms for hound

Synonyms: Noun

canine,
dog,
doggy
(or doggie),
pooch,
tyke
(also tike)

Synonyms: Verb

Antonyms: Verb

Choose the Right Synonym for hound

Verb

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

Examples of hound in a Sentence

Noun 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 Verb 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 on the Web: Noun The famed detective is described as being out of town throughout this story, searching for the hound of the Baskervilles in Devon. — Tribune News Service, cleveland, "Captain Comics: 3 great female-centric graphic novels," 3 Apr. 2021 The Western Hills High School graduate bought a slushy machine at a restaurant trade show, then came up with the name and hound dog mascot with the help of his mother and sister, and started his own company with $970. — Jeff Suess, The Enquirer, "Food brands you didn’t know are from Cincinnati," 2 Apr. 2021 When Trisha texts, Jenn knows it’s because there’s a hound in need. — Michelle Matthews | Mmatthews@al.com, al, "How this Alabama city rallied behind Oscar the blind dog," 3 Nov. 2020 After his first couple of hunting seasons, Ralph’s mentors gave him a pair of bear dogs—a Plott hound named Stud and a Plott-Walker mix called Boney. — T. Edward Nickens, Field & Stream, "Hunting Black Bears with Hounds in the Famed Bruin Swamps of North Carolina," 7 Oct. 2020 Major is the German shepherd who chose the Bidens in 2018 (not the first hound to choose the vice president). — Kevin Fisher-paulson, SFChronicle.com, "Vice presidential debates, cat mistrust and more. A conversation between two S.F. dogs.," 13 Oct. 2020 Alisa is a young, female hound mix who loves cuddles, playtime, time with other dogs, food and toys. — NOLA.com, "Pet of the week," 24 Sep. 2020 Melqart dispatched his faithful hound to scour the beaches of modern-day Lebanon in search of a gift for her. — Mark Woolmer, National Geographic, "Purple Reign: A passion for purple built the Phoenicians' vast trading empire," 24 Sep. 2020 The couple, in their 30s, walked their hound, Leon, at the dog park and met friends at restaurants. — oregonlive, "Moving to the burbs is suddenly back in style: City dwellers with coronavirus cabin fever lead the way," 6 Sep. 2020 Recent Examples on the Web: Verb Even Alex Moffat’s Joe Biden stops in, accompanied by his hell hound Major, who proceeds to attack Doug Emhoff. — Halle Kiefer, Vulture, "SNL’s Kamala Harris and Doug Emhoff Invite You to an Extremely Crowded Passover Seder," 29 Mar. 2021 As Clubhouse gained attention, investors smelled a generational slam-dunk opportunity and began to hound the founders to take their money. — Steven Levy, Wired, "The Buzzy, Chatty, Out-of-Control Rise of Clubhouse," 17 Mar. 2021 The gangs back home now hound his wife and children. — Dallas News, "Chaos at the border means big money for smugglers who use flashy tactics to lure migrants on false promises," 25 Mar. 2021 Starting at $70,895, the M3 is not cheap, but nonetheless represents good value for a car that can handle family-hauler chores Monday through Friday and hound Ferraris at track days on the weekend. — Ezra Dyer, Car and Driver, "2021 BMW M3 Looks Forward by Looking Back," 9 Mar. 2021 Rae is trying to go about her day, covered from head to toe though the sun is out, while paparazzi hound her and ask deeply hurtful, personal questions. — Natalie Morin, refinery29.com, "Addison Rae & Bryce Hall’s Split Looks Very Familiar," 5 Mar. 2021 The Securities and Exchange Commission adopted a rule that raises the thresholds for shareholder proposals, so activists can’t buy a small stake in a company and then hound its management with unpopular political demands. — The Editorial Board, WSJ, "Biden’s Fast Track to Reregulation," 25 Dec. 2020 Pro-enforcement lawmakers also are likely to hound Biden if asylum seekers swamp the border after his policies take effect. — Maria Sacchetti, Washington Post, "Biden sees Obama’s mass deportations as a ‘big mistake,’ plans to pause expulsions," 2 Dec. 2020 Set in the late 1950s to early ’60s, The Queen's Gambit sees Harmon go from a drab orphan with a tragic bowl cut to a sophisticated clothes hound with a penchant for all things beautiful. — Emily Tannenbaum, Glamour, "The Queen's Gambit," 26 Nov. 2020

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.