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hound

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verb

Synonym Chooser

How is the word hound distinct from other similar verbs?

Some common synonyms of hound are badger, bait, chivy, heckle, and hector. While all these words mean "to harass by efforts to break down," hound implies unrelenting pursuit and harassing.

hounded by creditors

When could badger be used to replace hound?

The words badger and hound can be used in similar contexts, but badger implies pestering so as to drive a person to confusion or frenzy.

badgered her father for a car

Where would bait be a reasonable alternative to hound?

While the synonyms bait and hound are close in meaning, bait implies wanton cruelty or delight in persecuting a helpless victim.

baited the chained dog

When is it sensible to use chivy instead of hound?

Although the words chivy and hound have much in common, chivy suggests persecution by teasing or nagging.

chivied the new student mercilessly

In what contexts can heckle take the place of hound?

The words heckle and hound are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, heckle implies persistent annoying or belligerent interruptions of a speaker.

drunks heckled the stand-up comic

When can hector be used instead of hound?

While in some cases nearly identical to hound, hector carries an implication of bullying and domineering.

football players hectored by their coach

Example Sentences

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.
Recent Examples of hound
Noun
The council data hounds also found that hot dog sales are linked to higher team winning percentages. Charles Selle, Chicago Tribune, 14 Apr. 2025 Bella Breed: Coonhound Age: 11 years old Bella, a treeing walker coonhound, is not your average hound. Amber Barron and, Kansas City Star, 2 Apr. 2025
Verb
Clark received the inbounds pass from Sophie Cunningham, but couldn’t get a shot up after being hounded by Cloud. Fiifi Frimpong, New York Daily News, 24 May 2025 On a single New York possession with approximately four minutes remaining in the third quarter, Pascal Siakam hounded ballhandler Josh Hart just beyond midcourt. Joe Vardon, New York Times, 31 May 2025 See All Example Sentences for hound
Recent Examples of Synonyms for hound
Noun
  • The remains were found by two men who were running their dogs and looking for rocks, according to DNASolves.
    CBS News, CBS News, 13 Sep. 2023
  • According to LifeLine, the DeKalb shelter takes in 135 dogs a week on average.
    Jim Gaines, ajc, 13 Sep. 2023
Noun
  • If Wrath of Khan is the gateway Star Trek film for sci-fi lovers, The Voyage Home is the gateway for everyone else.
    Chris Snellgrove, EW.com, 30 June 2025
  • Budget-Friendly: With ticket prices starting at $10 and capping around $125, plus free events and discounts for families, students, and university faculty, the festival caters to everyone—culturally curious families, art lovers, and budget travelers alike.
    Cameron Beall, Southern Living, 29 June 2025
Noun
  • Two of the game’s most brilliant villains have matured into eloquent eulogists.
    Simon Vozick-Levinson, Rolling Stone, 30 June 2025
  • For an industry which has long been treated by the television and film industries as a dirty, dangerous business run by unethical, cartoon-ish villains like J.R. Ewing, such a balanced portrayal is a welcome change, indeed.
    David Blackmon, Forbes.com, 29 June 2025
Verb
  • Much like the rest of the lineup, Lindor is also chasing pitches outside of the zone.
    Abbey Mastracco, New York Daily News, 21 June 2025
  • The Toronto Blue Jays have slowly but surely chased the New York Yankees down in the American League East.
    Zach Pressnell, MSNBC Newsweek, 20 June 2025
Verb
  • Heavy rain prompts traffic advisory on North 94th Street in Kansas City Drivers urged to exercise caution as heavy rain prompts traffic warning between I-70 West and State Avenue on North 94th Street.
    Kansas City Star, Kansas City Star, 27 June 2025
  • Then comes a video of Sam Smith as a toddler being urged to kick a ball in the hallway of the family home, followed straight after by the striker’s acrobatic finish to put Wrexham 2-0 up just three minutes on from Rathbone’s opener.
    Richard Sutcliffe, New York Times, 27 June 2025
Noun
  • When my daughter and I are outside, these pesky blood suckers feast.
    Cheryl Fenton, Parents, 24 June 2025
  • Along the way, the administration recast the U.S. commitment to European security from a mutually beneficial partnership to a sucker’s game that enabled gluttonous free-riding at Americans’ expense.
    Gideon Rose, Foreign Affairs, 23 June 2025
Noun
  • This freshly re-imagined Jag is worlds apart from that old German brute, but was similar in the sense of feeling wonderfully light and responsive, and utilizing hydraulic fluid to power its steering.
    Peter Nelson, Forbes.com, 12 June 2025
  • Cops released surveillance photos of a trio of brutes wanted for punching, repeatedly stabbing and robbing a man on a Bronx train last month.
    Emma Seiwell, New York Daily News, 7 June 2025
Noun
  • But in politics — as in life —there’s a fine line between being genuine and being a jerk.
    Tomas Chamorro-Premuzic, Forbes.com, 9 June 2025
  • Smoky, spicy jerk is also on the menu in the Pulled Jerk Pork & Coconut Shrimp appetizer at Eleanor’s at Sandals Grande Antigua.
    Sandals Resorts, AFAR Media, 4 June 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Hound.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/hound. Accessed 5 Jul. 2025.

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