: an organized and usually intensive hunt for a person and especially for one charged with a crime

Examples of manhunt in a Sentence

After several days of searching, the sheriff called off the manhunt. The FBI launched a manhunt to find the kidnappers.
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Mangione fatally shot Thompson in 2024 and was arrested following a five-day manhunt. Alison Durkee, Forbes.com, 17 Aug. 2026 Thompson’s killing outside a Midtown Manhattan hotel ignited a multistate manhunt that ended five days later, when police in Altoona, Pennsylvania, arrested Mangione in a McDonald’s. Kara Scannell, CNN Money, 15 Aug. 2026 The suspect, identified by police as 39-year-old Chad Hickman, fled the scene before troopers arrived, prompting a manhunt. Reuters, USA Today, 15 Aug. 2026 The suspect, identified by the agency as 39-year-old Chad Hickman, left the scene before troopers arrived, resulting in a large-scale manhunt. Nicholas Lentz, CBS News, 15 Aug. 2026 See All Example Sentences for manhunt

Word History

First Known Use

1833, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of manhunt was in 1833

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Cite this Entry

“Manhunt.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/manhunt. Accessed 23 Aug. 2026.

Kids Definition

: an organized hunt for a person and especially for one charged with a crime

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