as in frequents
to go to or spend time in often
much of her time is spent haunting antique shops in search of unique knobs for the curio cabinets she builds
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
1
as in hangouts
a place for spending time or for socializing
one of their favorite after-school haunts is Joe's Pizza
Synonyms & Similar Words
2
as in spirits
chiefly dialect
the soul of a dead person thought of especially as appearing to living people
we heard the local tales of a haunt in the choir loft and of a specter in the graveyard
Synonyms & Similar Words
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
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Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
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Recent Examples of haunts
Nicole Hoey, Robb Report, 5 Nov. 2025
Thia was sent to this dread planet by the Weyland-Yutani corporation, the famously evil entity that haunts most of the Alien movies.
—Richard Lawson, HollywoodReporter, 4 Nov. 2025
For his role as Erik, the disfigured organist who haunts the catacombs of the Paris opera house, Chaney underwent a dramatic — and painful — transformation that involved pulling back his nostrils with piano wire to create a skeletal look.
—Katie Rife, Entertainment Weekly, 30 Oct. 2025
As much as Americans seek to avoid race and forget the past, our steady consumption of horror films that vilify our spiritual traditions suggests that our country’s troubled history haunts us.
—Essence, 29 Oct. 2025
Yes, her death still haunts me!
—Catherine Mhloyi, Them., 29 Oct. 2025
There’s a recurring image of an angel, resplendent in red, who haunts Victor’s childhood dreams.
—Justin Chang, New Yorker, 28 Oct. 2025
His disappearance still haunts those who knew him.
—Rob Picheta, CNN Money, 28 Oct. 2025
When a young girl witnesses a traumatic incident involving her father and an American helicopter crash, the memory haunts her into adulthood.
—Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 27 Oct. 2025
Sal Pizarro, Mercury News, 6 Jan. 2026
Explore Downtown and Beyond Keep heading east to find the lively downtown, which is filled with restaurants specializing in cuisines from Creole to Italian plus haunts like Wine Society and the breweries Brighter Days and Two Frogs.
—Tara Massouleh McCay, Southern Living, 4 Jan. 2026
The same specter of redundancy haunts both Hamnet and Jay Kelly.
—Susie Goldsbrough, The Atlantic, 28 Dec. 2025
Like the haunts on all Disney ships, most spots on the Destiny are rooted in its heroes versus villains theme, and the attention to detail is unmatched.
—Victoria Uwumarogie, Essence, 9 Dec. 2025
TikTok has popularized certain places, ones that were previously my local haunts and now are too packed to get a seat.
—Lane Nieset, Travel + Leisure, 7 Dec. 2025
Many a day was spent in her youth at haunts like Arbetter’s, Town & Country mall and Bird Bowl.
—Madeleine Marr, Miami Herald, 13 Nov. 2025
One Tree Hill had a few questionable plot lines, but one in particular haunts Chad Michael Murray.
—Ana Calderone, PEOPLE, 8 Nov. 2025
The translation squeaks and spooks with imagery of haunts and death.
—Amber McBride, Literary Hub, 5 Nov. 2025
Verb
After turning Balthazar and Minetta Tavern into legendary New York haunts the pair went out on their own and opened hit restaurants up and down Manhattan together.
—Nicole Hoey, Robb Report, 5 Nov. 2025
Thia was sent to this dread planet by the Weyland-Yutani corporation, the famously evil entity that haunts most of the Alien movies.
—Richard Lawson, HollywoodReporter, 4 Nov. 2025
For his role as Erik, the disfigured organist who haunts the catacombs of the Paris opera house, Chaney underwent a dramatic — and painful — transformation that involved pulling back his nostrils with piano wire to create a skeletal look.
—Katie Rife, Entertainment Weekly, 30 Oct. 2025
As much as Americans seek to avoid race and forget the past, our steady consumption of horror films that vilify our spiritual traditions suggests that our country’s troubled history haunts us.
—Essence, 29 Oct. 2025
Yes, her death still haunts me!
—Catherine Mhloyi, Them., 29 Oct. 2025
There’s a recurring image of an angel, resplendent in red, who haunts Victor’s childhood dreams.
—Justin Chang, New Yorker, 28 Oct. 2025
His disappearance still haunts those who knew him.
—Rob Picheta, CNN Money, 28 Oct. 2025
When a young girl witnesses a traumatic incident involving her father and an American helicopter crash, the memory haunts her into adulthood.
—Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 27 Oct. 2025
Noun
Seibert’s niece, said her uncle indulged his love of travel the past three years, even going on a road trip to his old haunts in Washington, Idaho and Montana.
—Sal Pizarro, Mercury News, 6 Jan. 2026
Explore Downtown and Beyond Keep heading east to find the lively downtown, which is filled with restaurants specializing in cuisines from Creole to Italian plus haunts like Wine Society and the breweries Brighter Days and Two Frogs.
—Tara Massouleh McCay, Southern Living, 4 Jan. 2026
The same specter of redundancy haunts both Hamnet and Jay Kelly.
—Susie Goldsbrough, The Atlantic, 28 Dec. 2025
Like the haunts on all Disney ships, most spots on the Destiny are rooted in its heroes versus villains theme, and the attention to detail is unmatched.
—Victoria Uwumarogie, Essence, 9 Dec. 2025
TikTok has popularized certain places, ones that were previously my local haunts and now are too packed to get a seat.
—Lane Nieset, Travel + Leisure, 7 Dec. 2025
Many a day was spent in her youth at haunts like Arbetter’s, Town & Country mall and Bird Bowl.
—Madeleine Marr, Miami Herald, 13 Nov. 2025
One Tree Hill had a few questionable plot lines, but one in particular haunts Chad Michael Murray.
—Ana Calderone, PEOPLE, 8 Nov. 2025
The translation squeaks and spooks with imagery of haunts and death.
—Amber McBride, Literary Hub, 5 Nov. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for haunts
Verb
-
Fisk worked closely with Safdie to envision some of the film’s biggest set pieces, including the table tennis parlor Marty Mauser frequents that is based on Lawrence’s Broadway Table Tennis Club.—
Pat Saperstein,
Variety,
27 Dec. 2025
-
In 2021, the younger Zaman and Ghiasi opened Little Flower, a halal coffee shop in Astoria, which became a beloved haunt of Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani, who also frequents Zaman’s father’s restaurant, Sami’s Kabab House.—
Hannah Goldfield,
New Yorker,
8 Dec. 2025
Noun
-
In metro Detroit, some of these cheap, frill-less dive bars have been hangouts for over a century.—
Susan Selasky,
Freep.com,
7 Nov. 2025
-
After the sharks left their hangouts, populations of cape fur seal and sevengill sharks climbed.—
Evan Bush,
NBC news,
3 Nov. 2025
Noun
-
Despite its name, the bar operates as a globally minded cocktail destination with equal attention paid to other spirits, along with small bites and an impressive cigar selection.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
8 Jan. 2026
-
And for Dirty Shirleys, different spirits, including vodka, gin, tequila and vermouth can be substituted.—
Greta Cross,
USA Today,
8 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
Newsome takes in Elland Road as an ex-player in the hospitality lounges nowadays, and visits away grounds as a summariser for BBC Radio Leeds.—
Beren Cross,
New York Times,
10 Jan. 2026
-
The seven-night Alaska Dawes Glacier itinerary on Celebrity Edge cruises round-trip from Seattle and visits Ketchikan, Juneau, Skagway, and Victoria, sailing through the scenic Endicott Arm and Inside Passage along the way.—
Lauren Dana Ellman,
Travel + Leisure,
10 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
Smaller models simulate long-range approaches, while larger, high-fidelity replicas like the one shown are used to test the most delicate, close-range phases of a rendezvous.—
Kenna Hughes-Castleberry,
Space.com,
30 Dec. 2025
-
Though Rachel arrives under the guise of a recent customer with a follow-up question for her shoe salesman, she's actually arrived to share a steamy rendezvous with Marty.—
Tommy McArdle,
PEOPLE,
23 Dec. 2025
Noun
-
These ghosts, which take the form of their dead friends, are mostly just goofy, with the shoddy special effects and glowy auras giving the whole thing a distinctly Haunted Mansion vibe; critically, the threat never feels real, which undermines any tension.—
Louis Peitzman,
Vulture,
10 Nov. 2025
-
The ghosts of a 37-0 shutout to Iowa less than a month ago still lingered — the boos that faded into silence, the homecoming crowd that emptied before the fourth quarter, the scoreboard stuck on humiliation.—
Ira Gorawara,
New York Times,
9 Nov. 2025
Verb
-
Bird flu, a highly contagious airborne respiratory virus, affects poultry — including chickens, ducks and turkeys — and some wild bird species, including geese and shorebirds, the department said.—
Laura Fay,
CBS News,
11 Jan. 2026
-
This case involved a program called Family Reunification Parole, or FRP, and affects people from Colombia, Cuba, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, Haiti and Honduras.—
Michael Casey,
Los Angeles Times,
10 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
Hugging Costa Rica’s Caribbean Coast, Limón province is rich with natural wonders, from its white-sand beaches to its multiple wildlife refuges and volcanic landscapes.—
Lydia Price,
Travel + Leisure,
6 Nov. 2025
-
Lodging options vary from winter campsites and rustic cottages, to cozy micro-refuges and larger chalets.—
Outside,
Outside,
3 Nov. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Haunts.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/haunts. Accessed 11 Jan. 2026.
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