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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
This was when Taylor Ivy, a compassionate animal lover, discovered the emaciated hound dog-pit bull mix in a dire state. Gordon G. Chang, Newsweek, 25 Jan. 2025 For mileage hounds looking for the best odds of nabbing a seat up front, the airline with the largest percentage of seats devoted to first is All Nippon Airways, with about 3.2 percent of its capacity devoted to this class, according to the Cirium data. Barbara Peterson, AFAR Media, 17 Apr. 2025
Verb
With under eight minutes left in Duke’s comfortable and convincing 85-65 victory over Alabama in Saturday night’s East regional final of the NCAA men’s basketball tournament, Blue Devils freshman phenom Cooper Flagg found himself with the basketball, being hounded by a smaller Crimson Tide player. Sean Gregory, Time, 30 Mar. 2025 Even missing the likes of Lauren James who was ruled out of the game through injury and at points some clinical finishing, Chelsea hounded after a second goal. Caoimhe O'Neill, New York Times, 12 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
  • 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
Noun
  • The attire will be a return to form for Combs, a fashion lover who partly rose to superstardom with the success of his Sean John clothing brand.
    Jay Stahl, USA Today, 2 May 2025
  • This could spark a secret crush or dreams of a past lover may resurface.
    Valerie Mesa, People.com, 2 May 2025
Noun
  • With its ability to grow through asphalt and structural material, survive up to 20 years in total darkness and uproot the foundation of homes, Japanese knotweed (Fallopia japonica) could be the villain in a horror movie.
    Martha Proctor, Mercury News, 1 May 2025
  • The Grizzlies were a gritty team by nature, and Brooks was indeed a villain.
    Kelly Iko, New York Times, 1 May 2025
Verb
  • The capturing of one of the sun's most elusive features is bound to inspire others to chase partial eclipses, particularly those occurring at sunrise or sunset, Seaton said.
    Jamie Carter, Space.com, 22 Apr. 2025
  • Sugar Creek, Missouri police officers began chasing a woman in a car on Interstate 435 Monday afternoon, according to Officer Alayna Gonzalez, a Kansas City Police Department spokesperson.
    Ilana Arougheti, Kansas City Star, 21 Apr. 2025
Verb
  • The ban on food talk relieved them of being questioned or urged.
    Judith Martin, Mercury News, 28 Apr. 2025
  • Authorities described the situation as chaotic and urged families to use the reunification site to speed up the victim identification process.
    T. Michelle Murphy, ABC News, 28 Apr. 2025
Noun
  • The Trump administration has characterized that role as one for suckers, in which the United States restrained its hard power and allowed other countries to bleed its wealth.
    Margaret MacMillan, The Atlantic, 30 Apr. 2025
  • These stems, called suckers, are a different variety than the top growth and will have different flowers, as well as drawing energy and resources away from the main plant.
    Beth Botts, Chicago Tribune, 12 Apr. 2025
Noun
  • 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
  • Slinging a sports coat over his pajamas, Long pulls up to a curb and finds Tay (Dustin Nguyen), the Vietnamese speaker, plus two silent brutes, Eddie (Phi Vu) and Aden (Dali Benssalah), who muscle into his car and take over everything: the seating arrangements, the air freshener and their driver.
    Amy Nicholson, Los Angeles Times, 2 Mar. 2025
Noun
  • But this Ron Howard was an alternate universe version of Ron Howard, who instead of being notoriously nice, is sort of a jerk.
    Esther Zuckerman, Los Angeles Times, 2 Apr. 2025
  • Someone actually just said to me that all the men in the book are jerks.
    Gal Beckerman, The Atlantic, 7 Mar. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Hound.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/hound. Accessed 6 May. 2025.

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