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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
Dog owner Anna Vogt rescued her hound dog, Carrot, from the Nashville Humane Society last year, and since then, she's kept busy keeping her safe due to Carrot's obsession with climbing. Thomas G. Moukawsher, MSNBC Newsweek, 17 Apr. 2025 The eggs developed into embryos, which were then transplanted into the wombs of large hound mixes, resulting in the births of Romulus and Remus in October, and Khaleesi in January, all via cesarean section. Margherita Bassi, Smithsonian Magazine, 8 Apr. 2025
Verb
All of the big market teams like the Yankees, Red Sox and the Dodgers, especially, will be hounding Tucker and looking to add him to their lineup. Tom Rogers, MSNBC Newsweek, 29 Apr. 2025 During that series last year, Tanev hounded Nathan MacKinnon all series long, leaping over the boards seemingly whenever the Avs star hit the ice. Mark Lazerus, New York Times, 22 Apr. 2025 See All Example Sentences for hound
Recent Examples of Synonyms for hound
Noun
  • Responding officers found the dog, and advised the owner to take the dog in.
    cleveland, cleveland, 13 Sep. 2023
  • Police brought in hundreds of law enforcement personnel with dogs, armored carriers, horses and helicopters that circled overhead.
    Maryclaire Dale, Marc Levy and Michael Rubinkam, Anchorage Daily News, 13 Sep. 2023
Noun
  • About 75 members of the group will perform in the coming week at three churches in Broward County before taking a summer break and then inviting fellow music lovers to audition in August.
    Lois K. Solomon, Sun Sentinel, 13 May 2025
  • That menagerie is a bit extreme for a race car driver, but van Gisbergen isn’t the only animal lover on the NASCAR circuit.
    Kevin Baxter, Los Angeles Times, 12 May 2025
Noun
  • The filmmaker released a 15-second preview of the trailer, featuring footage of a battle between Superman and a mechanized villain named the Hammer of Boravia.
    Michileen Martin, MSNBC Newsweek, 13 May 2025
  • Frey was the Game of Thrones villain who orchestrated that show’s infamous Red Wedding, a premeditated and highly violent attack on a large group of people that took place during a wedding reception.
    Kimberly Roots, TVLine, 13 May 2025
Verb
  • The result is a property that doesn’t chase trends but sets them.
    Nia Bowers, USA Today, 16 May 2025
  • Many chase quick profits in volatile markets, only to freeze when trades turn against them.
    David Billy, Forbes.com, 16 May 2025
Verb
  • Trump met personally with the GOP conference that morning, urging them to stop pushing for more changes and get behind the bill.
    Riley Beggin, USA Today, 23 May 2025
  • Since May 2024, Jupiter has moved through your zone of intimacy, depth, and mutual resources, urging you to be more discerning about emotional risk.
    Colin Bedell, Them., 22 May 2025
Noun
  • The Vulcan system consists of a conventional robotic arm with a custom spatula-like appendage for poking into a shelf and a sucker for grabbing items to pull them out.
    Will Knight, Wired News, 7 May 2025
  • At a time when the world seems increasingly divided into winners and losers, exploiters and suckers, Henry Johnson speaks with sardonic eloquence to our current moment in American life.
    David Rooney, HollywoodReporter, 30 Apr. 2025
Noun
  • Then comes the arrival of General Zod and his two primary compatriots – a warrior woman and a silent hulking brute – who do battle with Superman around the city, causing much destruction and threatening the life of Lois Lane and her Daily Planet coworkers.
    Mark Hughes, Forbes.com, 26 Apr. 2025
  • By the end of the episode, the audience is eager to meet the antihero, the brute, that everyone is talking about.
    Maelle Beauget-Uhl, Forbes, 14 Mar. 2025
Noun
  • Trump calls Bruce Springsteen a 'jerk': The president slapped back after the musician voiced criticism at concertNeed a break?
    Chris Jordan, USA Today, 19 May 2025
  • Millions of readers follow along for her advice on work quandaries big and small, from dealing with office jerks to quitting a toxic job.
    Jennifer Liu, CNBC, 11 May 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Hound.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/hound. Accessed 25 May. 2025.

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