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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
There’s something amusing about using a high-powered car for mundane family tasks, or seeing the family hound’s slobbery jowls pressed against the rear screen as his owner blew off yet another sports car at the lights. Ben Oliver, Robb Report, 23 Apr. 2025 In early April, siblings Jax and Jazz, the Blue Merle Catahoula hounds, were taken to the Humane Society Broward County as their owner was deployed to the U.S. Air Force. Arick Wierson, MSNBC Newsweek, 16 Apr. 2025
Verb
And his treatment of Ukraine—his attempt to hound the Ukrainians toward a peace deal rather than use American might to compel Russia to the table—humiliated the weaker and wronged party and courted the aggressor. Malcolm Turnbull, Foreign Affairs, 6 June 2025 Brunson, who was hounded by a new primary defender in Andrew Nembhard, scored 19 points and finished 8-of-18 from the field. Peter Sblendorio, New York Daily News, 1 June 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
  • For lovers of art, architecture, and history, don't miss the Achilleion, a palace-turned-museum that was once the private refuge of the beloved Empress Elisabeth of Austria.
    Mina Agnos, Travel + Leisure, 13 July 2025
  • Thomasville is full of Queen Anne and Victorian architecture and serves as a quiet weekend retreat for lovers of architecture, gardens, and good food.
    Kelsey Glennon, Southern Living, 13 July 2025
Noun
  • Serial killers with a code, far-future space operas, superheroes doing battle with dastardly villains.
    Erik Kain, Forbes.com, 12 July 2025
  • Matthias Schoenaerts signed on as the film's villain, Krem of the Yellow Hills, in September 2024, per Deadline, and a few months later, Jason Momoa confirmed his casting as the violent intergalactic bounty hunter, Lobo.
    Samantha Stutsman, People.com, 12 July 2025
Verb
  • The song is a tribute to musical nomads who chase the impulses of a song around the globe.
    Jessica Nicholson, Billboard, 14 July 2025
  • An ax-wielding stranger initially mistaken for a delivery driver chased a woman into her home, then led deputies on a 13-mile chase, a California sheriff’s office reported.
    Don Sweeney, Sacbee.com, 14 July 2025
Verb
  • Residents are urged to exercise caution, stay hydrated, and be aware of the symptoms of heat exhaustion and heat stroke.
    Joyce Orlando, The Tennessean, 22 July 2025
  • Donald Trump has also publicly stated his opposition to breaking encrypted communications, publicly urging the prime minister Kier Starmer not to introduce such measures.
    Barry Collins, Forbes.com, 21 July 2025
Noun
  • Like these rich men, Luthor embraces his villainy by styling himself as a sleek anti-hero and lording his privilege over the rest of society’s suckers.
    Matt Zoller Seitz, Vulture, 16 July 2025
  • Check the main vine and secondary shoot regularly for new suckers and remove them promptly.
    Kim Toscano, Southern Living, 5 July 2025
Noun
  • King's polo playing husband, Bill Mitchell — who went on to become a director for Texaco — became the model for Daisy’s rich brute of a husband, Tom Buchanan.
    Jordan Runtagh, People.com, 5 June 2025
  • 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
Noun
  • No, the worst Christopher Reeve Superman film is not the embarrassing Cannon Films installment but rather the one featuring a world-class comedian, a woman turning into a computer, and a terrific junkyard battle between Clark Kent and his belligerent jerk doppelganger.
    Rory Doherty, Vulture, 11 July 2025
  • Midtown Global Market’s Irie Jamaican serves oxtail (jerk or barbecue) with festival (a sweet, fried bread); sweet plantains; coconut shrimp skewers; and a ginger and hibiscus drink.
    Jess Fleming, Twin Cities, 9 July 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Hound.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/hound. Accessed 26 Jul. 2025.

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