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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
In a market where there is a colloquial term for consumers who want their spirits bottled at the highest strength possible (proof hounds), this low-strength whiskey is a bold move. Chris Perugini, Forbes.com, 18 Sep. 2025 Our two dogs are adopted hounds, and our female dog is now almost seven years old. Dr. John De Jong, Boston Herald, 14 Sep. 2025
Verb
Italian city imposes a tourist tax on dogs Dog owners visiting the Italian city of Bolzano will be hounded for taxes to offset the cost of street cleaning and to fund new parks. Alexandra Banner, CNN Money, 24 Sep. 2025 The former is the owner of a New York City hotspot; the latter is a man on the run from loan sharks, with heaps of personal issues and bad debts hounding him. Erik Kain, Forbes.com, 19 Sep. 2025 See All Example Sentences for hound
Recent Examples of Synonyms for hound
Noun
  • Fey also mocked Noem's infamous story about shooting a family dog.
    Brendan Morrow, USA Today, 12 Oct. 2025
  • Lake Worth police have remined public to not approach the dog involved, according to the social media post.
    Shambhavi Rimal, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 12 Oct. 2025
Noun
  • Season 3 found Colin Bridgerton (Luke Newton) in a friends-to-lovers arc with neighbor Penelope Featherington (Nicola Coughlan), who’d harbored a crush on him for years.
    Ryan Schwartz, TVLine, 13 Oct. 2025
  • Meanwhile, star-crossed lovers Ellen (Harriet Slater) and Brian (Jamie Roy) managed to plot an escape of their own — but not before getting some major blood on their hands.
    Max Gao, HollywoodReporter, 13 Oct. 2025
Noun
  • The cast also includes Eugene Byrd as a young version of classic Spider-Man villain Tombstone, Hugh Dancy as Otto Octavius, MCU star Charlie Cox as Daredevil, Kari Wahlgren as Aunt May, Aleks Le as Amadeus Cho and Jonathan Medina as the villainous Scorpion.
    Jordan Moreau, Variety, 11 Oct. 2025
  • The tournaments pit heroes like Liu Kang, Raiden, and Sonya Blade against such villains as Shang Tsung, Shao Kahn, and Scorpion.
    Matt Grobar, Deadline, 11 Oct. 2025
Verb
  • Rather than chasing gimmicks, the company has doubled down on image quality, system reliability, and post-incident usability.
    Christopher McFadden, Interesting Engineering, 10 Oct. 2025
  • The child ran away from the boy, who is accused of chasing him with the knife.
    Julia Marnin, Miami Herald, 10 Oct. 2025
Verb
  • Taylor claimed Martz urged her to join them in the cockpit to get the best view.
    Nancy Dillon, Rolling Stone, 11 Oct. 2025
  • Ellison's office's lack of substantive response to the ultimatum comes despite the fact that hundreds of Minnesota school board members penned an open letter urging the state to comply with Trump and change its policies to keep males out of girls sports.
    Jackson Thompson, FOXNews.com, 11 Oct. 2025
Noun
  • And as captured by production’s cameras, that’s exactly what happened after Jake was chomped on by one of those very dangerous l’il suckers.
    Nick Caruso, TVLine, 8 Oct. 2025
  • The irony is many of America’s downtowns have come back since that embarrassing time in our history, and while the people and nightlife may be there, the sports franchises are fleeing toward the latest sucker.
    Fort Worth Star-Telegram, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 7 Oct. 2025
Noun
  • An extermination of the brutes in the Middle East, presided over by Obama’s successors, has been followed by a swift cancellation by Trumpian decree of the postracial age.
    Pankaj Mishra, Harpers Magazine, 19 Sep. 2025
  • Each fits into typical RPG classes — with Armon being the close combat brute, Harlow the magical crowd control specialist, Rafa the agile rogue, and Vex serving as a summoner who calls on minions to do the dirty work.
    George Yang, Rolling Stone, 11 Sep. 2025
Noun
  • The host, Scotty, is an acerbic jerk who saves his meanest digs for Richter’s Mickey.
    Kimberly Roots, TVLine, 12 Oct. 2025
  • Saddled with an uninteresting jerk half the time and a muzzled non-entity the other half, there’s only a handful of moments in the first six episodes where Powell’s star power shines through.
    Ben Travers, IndieWire, 29 Sep. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Hound.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/hound. Accessed 17 Oct. 2025.

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