as in pursuit
the act of going after or in the tracks of another
the actor eventually couldn't take the constant hounding by reporters and fans
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
1
as in chasing
to go after or on the track of
after the scandal came to light, the politician was hounded by reporters night and day
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in urging
to subject (someone) to constant scoldings and sharp reminders
kept hounding his mother to let him drive her car until she gave in
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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 hounding
Melissa Ruggieri, USA Today, 2 Feb. 2026
While Edgecombe is hounding Brunson on one end, Tyrese Maxey’s got 1,200 square feet of real estate at Madison Square Garden on the other.
—Kristian Winfield, New York Daily News, 4 Jan. 2026
In a teaser for the untitled project, which dropped Sunday night, Justin and Christian solemnly watch news coverage of Combs’ criminal trial and reporters hounding their family with questions regarding accusations against their 56-year-old father.
—Cheyenne Roundtree, Rolling Stone, 29 Dec. 2025
The three did their jobs, hounding the Sabres with persistent physicality all game.
—Joshua Kloke, New York Times, 25 Oct. 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
Inappropriate client interaction such as hounding a woman to come over to his house late at night and slipshod work that ended with a grandmother’s eviction got a Daytona Beach attorney suspended from his law career for two years.
—David J. Neal, Miami Herald, 17 Sep. 2025
He was seen as an outspoken critic of his own party, but was also perceived as distant from Abe’s right-wing faction, which proved advantageous given the scandals hounding that segment of the party.
—Chad De Guzman, Time, 8 Sep. 2025
One of those fans happens to be Angela Bassett‘s sister, who has apparently been hounding Bassett about the potential return of her on-screen hubby.
—Andy Swift, TVLine, 21 Aug. 2025
Verb
The Grammys have arrived and Music’s Biggest Night will finally answer questions that have been hounding music fans since the 2026 nominees were announced in November.
—Melissa Ruggieri, USA Today, 2 Feb. 2026
While Edgecombe is hounding Brunson on one end, Tyrese Maxey’s got 1,200 square feet of real estate at Madison Square Garden on the other.
—Kristian Winfield, New York Daily News, 4 Jan. 2026
In a teaser for the untitled project, which dropped Sunday night, Justin and Christian solemnly watch news coverage of Combs’ criminal trial and reporters hounding their family with questions regarding accusations against their 56-year-old father.
—Cheyenne Roundtree, Rolling Stone, 29 Dec. 2025
The three did their jobs, hounding the Sabres with persistent physicality all game.
—Joshua Kloke, New York Times, 25 Oct. 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
Inappropriate client interaction such as hounding a woman to come over to his house late at night and slipshod work that ended with a grandmother’s eviction got a Daytona Beach attorney suspended from his law career for two years.
—David J. Neal, Miami Herald, 17 Sep. 2025
He was seen as an outspoken critic of his own party, but was also perceived as distant from Abe’s right-wing faction, which proved advantageous given the scandals hounding that segment of the party.
—Chad De Guzman, Time, 8 Sep. 2025
One of those fans happens to be Angela Bassett‘s sister, who has apparently been hounding Bassett about the potential return of her on-screen hubby.
—Andy Swift, TVLine, 21 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for hounding
Noun
-
Paintbox, the brand’s signature kid’s program, includes educational (animal print tracking) and active (obstacle courses) outdoor pursuits.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
20 Feb. 2026
-
However, rights groups say implementation, transparency in releases and broader reforms will determine its lasting impact on Venezuela’s pursuit of peace and democratic coexistence.—
Alessandra Freitas,
CNN Money,
20 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
The Americans — Tabitha and Tara Peterson, Cory Thiesse and Taylor Anderson-Heide — were chasing the rest of the match, never able to cobble together more than one point with their hammer.—
John Shipley,
Twin Cities,
16 Feb. 2026
-
While the trend concerns mostly dramas, American actors are also chasing lighter material from Europe.—
Ellise Shafer,
Variety,
16 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
The Sierra Avalanche Center reports high avalanche risk through at least this morning, urging people to avoid travel in or below avalanche terrain.—
James Ward,
USA Today,
18 Feb. 2026
-
The Pima County sheriff took the unusual step of publicly clearing the family as suspects, urging the public to show compassion toward the victims.—
Hannah Fry,
Los Angeles Times,
18 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
The best accounting software connects to your bank accounts, business credit cards and payroll services to automate expense tracking and ensure accuracy.—
Jasmin Suknanan,
CNBC,
14 Feb. 2026
-
Without drug overdose tracking, naloxone can’t be deployed to the ZIP codes where people are dying fastest.—
Robert B. Shpiner,
STAT,
13 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
Since then, students pursuing science, technology, engineering and mathematics majors have had the chance to enroll directly in a calculus class with extra support in the form of a concurrent class.—
Tammi Marshall,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
18 Feb. 2026
-
For many student athletes in attendance, Jones’ message of finding one’s voice as a female athlete and pursuing a dream in sports deeply resonated.—
Alexandra Murphy,
Chicago Tribune,
18 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
First there was Norwegian’s Sturla Holm Lægreid confessing to cheating on his girlfriend during a live interview after winning the bronze medal and tearfully begging her to come back (shockingly, humiliating his ex on national television didn’t work).—
James Hibberd,
HollywoodReporter,
13 Feb. 2026
-
The current crop, by contrast, has been begging visitors to crawl back into the light.—
Sean Keeler,
Denver Post,
11 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
At the same time, Barton’s book The Birth of Intertexuality (2019) is precisely a kind of tracing of the concept through the texts and thinking of different authors—which includes sections on Nietzsche’s influence on Barthes and Foucault.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
13 Feb. 2026
-
Contact tracing and the daily testing of ocean water quality could slow down.—
Rebecca Ellis,
Los Angeles Times,
11 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
If true, this likely suggests a very tense intercept scenario, perhaps even shadowing or escorting away from Chinese airspace.—
Christopher McFadden,
Interesting Engineering,
14 Feb. 2026
-
After an hour in the lounge, the staff began escorting us to the train.—
Adam Erace,
Travel + Leisure,
6 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Hounding.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/hounding. Accessed 21 Feb. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
