witch hunt

noun

Definition of witch hunt

1 : a searching out for persecution of persons accused of witchcraft

2 : the searching out and deliberate harassment of those (such as political opponents) with unpopular views

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Examples of witch hunt in a Sentence

He was the victim of a congressional witch hunt against Communists.

Recent Examples on the Web

The film Assassination Nation, written and directed by Sam Levinson (Another Happy Day), also uses a witch hunt metaphor. — Adi Robertson, The Verge, "Assassination Nation is a vicious, cathartic horror film about misogyny," 21 Sep. 2018 Mueller’s probe has come under sustained attack from Trump and his supporters in Congress, who call it a witch hunt and a politically-motivated attempt to hurt the president. — Matt Zapotosky, Washington Post, "Mueller indicts 12 Russian intelligence officers for allegedly conspiring to hack 2016 U.S. presidential election," 13 July 2018 Trump regularly pushes back against the Russia investigation, calling it a witch hunt, a scam, and phony. — Eileen Sullivan, BostonGlobe.com, "Trump repeats unconfirmed claims of a spy inside his campaign," 23 May 2018 Sanal Edamaruku, an activist fighting witch hunts and president of the India Rationalist Association, tells SELF. — Seema Yasmin, SELF, "In Rural India, Protecting Women From Witch Hunting, and an Impending Flood," 17 Aug. 2018 Especially since President Trump has continued to call the Russia investigation a hoax and a witch hunt, and expressed interest in improving relations with Putin. — Ken Dilanian /, NBC News, "The timing, the proof, the details: Takeaways from Mueller's new indictments," 13 July 2018 Justice will be done but there will be no witch hunt, the minister said. — Abdoulie John, The Seattle Times, "‘Dark days’ over: Gambia launches truth, reconciliation body," 15 Oct. 2018 As the witching hour approaches, guests will take a nighttime tour of the palace and learn about 16th century witch hunts and the fear that gripped Tudor England and the prospect of the dark mystical powers working among them. — Lauren Hubbard, Town & Country, "You Can Now Spend the Night in Hampton Court, One of Henry VIII's Favorite Palaces," 14 Sep. 2018 In Tanzania, nearly 400 people were killed in witch hunts in the first half of 2016, according to police. — Seema Yasmin, SELF, "In Rural India, Protecting Women From Witch Hunting, and an Impending Flood," 17 Aug. 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'witch hunt.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.