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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

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
Veronica, a pug with a spiky pink collar, trudged alongside her sister Betty, a thirteen-year-old hound, in Princeton one recent wet morning. Gabriel Debenedetti, New Yorker, 13 Apr. 2026 To the lower right of Sirius is Mirzam, a dimmer but distinct star that marks the hound’s elevated paw. Mike Lynch, Twin Cities, 12 Apr. 2026
Verb
San Diego is where Pitino’s basketball ghosts, after hounding him for decades, were sent far away, perhaps for good. Tom Krasovic, San Diego Union-Tribune, 23 Mar. 2026 One notable voice on the topic is Chappell Roan who has openly discussed the feeling of being hounded by the press. Fleurine Tideman, Glamour, 23 Mar. 2026 See All Example Sentences for hound
Recent Examples of Synonyms for hound
Noun
  • Pasco’s wife was allegedly attacked by dogs belonging to the victim, identified in the affidavit as 36-year-old Shawn Cyriacks.
    Cristóbal Reyes, The Orlando Sentinel, 20 Apr. 2026
  • Another photo captures the soon-to-be bride and groom crouching down on the sand with their two pet dogs.
    Ashlyn Robinette, PEOPLE, 20 Apr. 2026
Noun
  • Some, like Chloe’s triad, are all lovers.
    Sonja Sharp, Los Angeles Times, 25 Apr. 2026
  • Some Disney lovers worry the small back walkway near Country Bear Musical Jamboree, a longtime sit-down attraction, could close as Frontierland shifts toward the Piston Peak setting, the blogs reported.
    Jessica Mekles, FOXNews.com, 25 Apr. 2026
Noun
  • The horror film, which is directed by James Watkins, will track the origins of the shape-shifting villain, played by Tom Rhys Harries.
    Giana Levy, Variety, 22 Apr. 2026
  • But what makes this situation so hard is that there’s no obvious villain and no dramatic fallout (which, in some ways, would almost be easier to deal with).
    Jenna Ryu, SELF, 22 Apr. 2026
Verb
  • The Packers are chasing a fourth straight playoff berth after going 9-8-1 and losing 31-27 to the Chicago Bears in the NFC wild-card playoff round last season.
    Steve Megargee, Chicago Tribune, 25 Apr. 2026
  • Joseph Wright chased that question in the set of paintings that the National Gallery is currently exhibiting.
    Julian Bell, The New York Review of Books, 25 Apr. 2026
Verb
  • The two seem poles apart philosophically — when Cherki assisted Foden with a rabona earlier in the season, Guardiola urged him to learn from Lionel Messi’s ‘simplicity’.
    Sam Lee, New York Times, 23 Apr. 2026
  • Before the unanimous vote to defer the interim agreement decision, commissioners heard from dozens of residents and representatives from local civic associations who urged them to reconsider.
    Amanda Rosa, Miami Herald, 22 Apr. 2026
Noun
  • Snip upright suckers and water sprouts that zap the tree’s energy.
    Karen Brewer Grossman, Southern Living, 17 Apr. 2026
  • But to think that suckers get an even break when insiders have information that assures them of winning is folly.
    William Mersey, New York Daily News, 8 Apr. 2026
Noun
  • This time the closing hole was a brute, the toughest at Harbour Town on Sunday.
    ABC News, ABC News, 19 Apr. 2026
  • And what better way to force that out of her than to put her up against a brute of a man who has all the confidence in the world?
    Jason P. Frank, Vulture, 16 Apr. 2026
Noun
  • The jerk chicken is rubbed in a sweet honey glaze.
    Jenn Harris, Los Angeles Times, 20 Apr. 2026
  • This was just the beginning of us young anarchists becoming judgmental jerks.
    Joseph Hudak, Rolling Stone, 7 Apr. 2026

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Cite this Entry

“Hound.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/hound. Accessed 27 Apr. 2026.

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