hound

1 of 2

noun

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

hound

2 of 2

verb

hounded; hounding; hounds

transitive verb

1
: to pursue with or as if with hounds
2
: to drive or affect by persistent harassing
hounder noun
Choose the Right Synonym for 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

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
Voters felt hosed by the Republican publicity hound, and maybe the Dems were more motivated to vote. Howard Kurtz, Fox News, 15 Feb. 2024 The post by the Humane Society said that late Wednesday night, three 8-week-old pointer/hound mix puppies were thrown from a car to the side of a dead-end road. Democrat-Gazette Staff From Wire Reports, arkansasonline.com, 26 Feb. 2024 Could Telles have been involved? Peter Van Sant: The journalistic hounds are — are released, right? Peter Van Sant, CBS News, 17 Feb. 2024 This exclusive backcountry offering in Denali National Park is geared toward powder hounds with a passion for exploring uncharted territory. Stacey Lastoe, Robb Report, 23 Jan. 2024 Sadly, the regal hound was the first to be eliminated, and two of the panelists ended up correctly guessing his identity. EW.com, 6 Dec. 2023 The site also notes that the barking hound dogs are not included. EW.com, 14 Nov. 2023 Yet nebbish vinyl hounds always seem to have something obnoxious to say about the iconic brand. Ron Hart, SPIN, 8 Dec. 2023 Spike, an otherwise happy hound from South Carolina, found himself in a tight spot after the dog became stuck in his owner's dryer vent. Sarah Rumpf-Whitten, Fox News, 5 Dec. 2023
Verb
The trailer captures the mayhem that ensued, not only as the media hounded Daniels and her family but as she got entangled with Avenatti. Jon Blistein, Rolling Stone, 7 Mar. 2024 Second, commercial banks tightened their purse strings after federal regulators hounded industry players due to the closure of Silicon Valley Bank last year. Rebecca San Juan, Miami Herald, 6 Mar. 2024 Although speculation is rife in Israel that Netanyahu will be hounded out of office soon and new elections will bring a moderate, centrist coalition to power, his survival skills are unmatched; he should never be counted out. Martin Indyk, Foreign Affairs, 20 Feb. 2024 San Diego State played hounding defense, too, and forced 11 turnovers in the first half — including three shot-clock infractions. Pat Graham, USA TODAY, 7 Feb. 2024 McCaffrey’s Jimmy was killed on 9/11, and his vision hounded friend and fellow New York firefighter Tommy Gavin (Denis Leary) over all seven seasons (2004-11) of the acclaimed FX drama Rescue Me. Mike Barnes, The Hollywood Reporter, 18 Dec. 2023 After photos of the pair filming went viral, they were hounded by questions about their relationship throughout the press run for the film. Jodi Guglielmi, Rolling Stone, 26 Feb. 2024 At his new home, he is hounded by an uncannily humanlike blue heron who tells him that his mother is actually alive and trapped in a mysterious tower. Nina Li Coomes, The Atlantic, 23 Feb. 2024 But if that doesn't happen and Trump can't find the cash, he could be hounded by Carroll and the state attorney general's office. Aysha Bagchi, USA TODAY, 17 Feb. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'hound.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Noun

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

First Known Use

Noun

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Verb

1528, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of hound was before the 12th century

Dictionary Entries Near hound

Cite this Entry

“Hound.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/hound. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

hound

1 of 2 noun
1
2
: a dog of any of various hunting breeds having large drooping ears and a deep voice and following their prey by scent or sight

hound

2 of 2 verb
: to pursue with or as if with hounds

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