hound

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noun \ ˈhau̇nd \

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

This BARK exclusive toy is full of squeakers and ear-catching headlines making it a must for any nosy hound.

— Indianapolis Star, "FREE Dog Chew Toy from barkshop.com," 29 Aug. 2017
In Mandarin with English subtitles (not rated; some violence) TREASURE HOUNDS A dog sets out to help his owner's family save their house by finding some treasure.

— chris foran, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "New on DVD: 'Baywatch,' 'My Cousin Rachel,' 'Dean' and more," 29 Aug. 2017
The only inside door barges open, and furry Mabel the news hound regally inspects – and dismisses – a visitor.

— doug struck, The Christian Science Monitor, "How a colorful Iowa newspaperman is taking on big interests," 15 Aug. 2017
The Metamora Hunt club is nearby, with its formal fox and hound hunts, as well as many other horse farms.

— judy rose, Detroit Free Press, "Metamora property isn't your average horse farm," 29 July 2017
Will The Hound be the one to finally bring his scary (scary, scary) brother down? ' '

— kayleigh roberts, Marie Claire, "10 Loose Ends 'Game of Thrones' *Needs* to Address This Season," 16 July 2017
Like a hound chasing prey, Froome took off after Romain Bardet, Fabio Aru and Rigoberto Uran — the three riders all within 30 seconds of Froome in the overall standings of the Tour that, after a ho-hum beginning, has become thrillingly close.

— john leicester, courant.com, "Bike Problem Nearly Derails Froome On Stage 15," 16 July 2017
Fortunately for the caviar hound in all of us, the United States is home to some of the world’s best caviar-producing sturgeon farms.

— natalie b. compton, GQ, "Why David Chang Gets His Caviar From Idaho," 13 July 2017
Linda Jackson, 70, took the pit-bull and basset-hound mix for her elderly mother, who no longer drives.

— christal hayes, OrlandoSentinel.com, "Cops: Teen carjacked Osceola woman's vehicle with dog inside," 13 July 2017

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

See Words from the same year

hound Synonyms

Synonyms

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

Antonyms

nonfan

Related Words

cur, mongrel, mutt; bitch; lapdog, pup, puppy, puppy dog, whelp; bandog, bird dog, coonhound, courser, gundog, hunter, sheepdog, sled dog, watchdog, wolf dog, wolfhound; guide dog, police dog, working dog

Near Antonyms

nonadmirer; belittler, carper, critic, detractor

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

The woman had paid the contractor for the work done by the subcontractor, but the subcontractor was now hounding the woman for a check.

— indystar, Indianapolis Star, "IndyStar Call for Action racks up $65,000 more in savings over past 4 weeks," 14 Aug. 2017
That bit him in the butt the last two years on this topic, with us hounding him day in and day out about innings limits.

— c. trent rosecrans, Cincinnati.com, "BAR: How will the Reds add to the pitching staff this offseason?," 4 Aug. 2017
Scores of Shia activists hounded out of Bahrain have settled in Britain, and beam their protests back to the Gulf.

— The Economist, "To escape repression, critics are leaving the Gulf," 20 July 2017
Bradley brings hounding defense, above-average three-point shooting and winning experience to the Pistons.

— marlowe alter, Detroit Free Press, "#BestInTheD: Detroit's top-20 pro athletes right now, Nos. 20-11," 12 July 2017
Ringling Bros. has been hounded by such activists for at least the last three decades of the its 146-year history.

— emily atkin, New Republic, "For Sale: Endangered Tigers. Will Perform for Food.," 3 July 2017
Caroline Issa floated around in a bright, multi-colored dress, and Guinevere Van Seenus was hounded by a gaggle of in-house paparazzi.

— isobel thompson, Vanities, "Kate Moss, Calvin Klein’s Ultimate Muse, Gets a Royal Celebration," 23 June 2017
Citizen Kitty took the early lead, but was hounded by Profound Kitty from the beginning.

— seattle times staff, The Seattle Times, "Midwest invader wins Legislators Stakes at Emerald Downs," 17 June 2017
After all, with two players hounding Curry, that gives the Warriors an offensive advantage.

— chris fedor, cleveland.com, "Cleveland Cavaliers altered defensive strategy against Warriors' Kevin Durant, Stephen Curry," 12 June 2017

First Known Use of hound

1528

hound Synonyms

Synonyms

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

Antonyms

guide, lead, pilot

Related Words

accompany, chaperone (or chaperon), escort; hunt, search (for), seek; eye, observe, watch

Near Antonyms

head

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

play

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