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Definition of houndnext
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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
Mary petted her hound-Lab mix, Mickey. Matt Crossman, Midwest Living, 14 Apr. 2026 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
Verb
This disparity continues to hound a league where the majority of the players are Black, but the coaches and front office decision makers are not. Mac Engel march 30, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 30 Mar. 2026 His instincts, like his techniques, are relentlessly up-to-the-minute; Orsolya is hounded by not only her guilty conscience but also the demons of social media. Justin Chang, New Yorker, 27 Mar. 2026 See All Example Sentences for hound
Recent Examples of Synonyms for hound
Noun
  • The book's main character — Cheese — was inspired by her real-life rescue dog, who was known for chasing squirrels and bringing energy into her life.
    Wakisha Bailey, CBS News, 4 May 2026
  • By targeting a gene central to the molecular dysfunction and creating a novel system to deliver functional genetic instructions, High, Bennett and Maguire were able to move their therapy from the lab to experiments in dogs and finally to clinical trials in humans.
    Lauren J. Young, Scientific American, 4 May 2026
Noun
  • Made in response to a difficult breakup, the work alludes to two lovers parting ways, but also to Pau’s memories of isolation as a severely asthmatic child in a notoriously polluted city, lying in bed staring at the wall and inventing stories to distract herself from the difficulty of breathing.
    Pauline J. Yao, Artforum, 2 May 2026
  • People who collect rare books are book lovers, first and foremost.
    Marc Weingarten, Los Angeles Times, 2 May 2026
Noun
  • Fisk, the villain, ultimately loses this battle.
    Tracy Brown, Los Angeles Times, 6 May 2026
  • Who’s the villain on your show?
    Jason P. Frank, Vulture, 6 May 2026
Verb
  • Brent Rooker, who hit a two-run homer to snap an 0-for-20 slump and give the Athletics a 2-0 lead in the first, had an RBI single to chase Gaddis.
    ABC News, ABC News, 2 May 2026
  • Tollinche’s mom confronted them with a broom, chasing them away, a law enforcement source said.
    Emma Seiwell, New York Daily News, 1 May 2026
Verb
  • But Sam Schoenburg, a member of the 19th Police District Council, also on the North Side, urged aldermen to move ahead with the vote.
    Jake Sheridan, Chicago Tribune, 6 May 2026
  • While there have been no reports of illness, authorities urge people to contact a health care provider for any concerns.
    Gabrielle Rockson, PEOPLE, 6 May 2026
Noun
  • The flies are blood-suckers, like mosquitos, The Charlotte Observer previously reported.
    Eva Flowe May 8, Charlotte Observer, 8 May 2026
  • Brunson is a sucker for learning, a sucker for details.
    James L. Edwards III, New York Times, 3 May 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
  • Here, witches are real — and so are jerks.
    Amy Nicholson, Los Angeles Times, 30 Apr. 2026
  • The passengers include the requisite obnoxious jerk, Dan (Angus Sampson), already throwing his weight around and breaking no-smoking rules at LAX.
    David Rooney, HollywoodReporter, 28 Apr. 2026

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Cite this Entry

“Hound.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/hound. Accessed 9 May. 2026.

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