hunt

verb

ˈhənt 

hunted; hunting; hunts

transitive verb

1

a

: to pursue for food or in sport

hunt buffalo

b

: to manage in the search for game

hunts a pack of dogs

2

a

: to pursue with intent to capture

hunted the escapees

b

: to search out : seek

3

: to drive or chase especially by harrying

Members … were hunted from their homes …

—J. T. Adams

4

: to traverse in search of prey

hunts the woods

intransitive verb

1

: to take part in a hunt

2

: to attempt to find something

3

: to oscillate alternately to each side (as of a neutral point) or to run alternately faster and slower

—used especially of a device or machine

Synonyms of hunt

• chase
• stalk

Examples of hunt in a Sentence

The wolf was hunting its prey.

These birds have been hunted almost to extinction.

a gun used for hunting squirrels

He likes to hunt and fish.

She hunted around in the closet for a pair of shoes.

Police hunted the escaped prisoners through several states.

Recent Examples on the Web

As the rocks eroded and wore away into their iconic shapes, there were Indigenous people who hunted, gathered and farmed beside them. —Staff, USA Today, 8 June 2026

While Goldman is hunting for votes in places that don’t ordinarily turn out in large numbers, Lander seems to have the advantage in the neighborhoods that do. —Russell Berman, The Atlantic, 7 June 2026

On state Wildlife Management Areas, tegus may be taken with firearms that are legal for the current hunting season on that specific WMA. —Christopher Harris, CBS News, 4 June 2026

One post included security camera footage showing two coyotes hunting an opossum on the driveway of a house in the Barber Tract. —Ashley MacKin Solomon, San Diego Union-Tribune, 4 June 2026

Word History

Etymology

Middle English, from Old English huntian; akin to Old English hentan to seize

First Known Use

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

Phrases Containing hunt

• head-hunt
• hunt-and-peck
• hunt down
• hunt out
• hunt up
• in the hunt
• on the hunt
• scavenger hunt
• still-hunt
• treasure hunt
• witch hunt

Rhymes for hunt

• blunt
• brunt
• bunt
• front
• grunt
• shunt
• stunt
• affront
• confront
• exeunt
• forefront
• lakefront

Kids Definition

hunt

1 of 2 verb

ˈhənt 

1

a

: to seek out and chase (game) for food or sport

hunt squirrel

b

: to use in hunting game

hunts a pack of dogs

2

a

: to chase in order to capture

b

: to search out : look for : seek

hunting for my gloves

3

: to drive or chase especially by repeated attacks

hunt a criminal out of town

4

: to search through looking for prey

hunts the woods

hunt

2 of 2 noun

1

: the action, the practice, or an instance of hunting

2

: a group of hunters

especially : a group of hunters on horseback and their hunting dogs

Geographical Definition

Huntingdon

geographical name

Hun·​ting·​don ˈhən-tiŋ-dən 

1

or Huntingdonshire

ˈhən-tiŋ-dən-ˌshir   

-shər

or Huntingdon and Peterborough

ˈpē-tər-ˌbər-ō 

or Hunts

ˈhənts 

former county of east central England; capital Huntingdon; since 1974 part of Cambridgeshire

2

town in Cambridgeshire, east central England population 2859