hunt
( hunts plural & 3rd person present) ( hunting present participle) ( hunted past tense & past participle )
1 verb If you huntfor something or someone, you try to find them by searching carefully or thoroughly.
(=search)
A forensic team was hunting for clues... V for n
Hunt is also a noun., n-count
(=search)
The couple had helped in the hunt for the toddlers.
2 verb If you hunt a criminal or an enemy, you search for them in order to catch or harm them.
Detectives have been hunting him for seven months... V n, Also V for n
Hunt is also a noun., n-count usu sing, oft N for n
Despite a nationwide hunt for the kidnap gang, not a trace of them was found.
3 verb When people or animals hunt, they chase and kill wild animals for food or as a sport.
As a child I learned to hunt and fish... V
He got up at four and set out on foot to hunt black grouse. V n, Also V for n
Hunt is also a noun., n-count oft n N
He set off for a nineteen-day moose hunt in Nova Scotia.
4 verb In Britain, when people hunt, they ride horses over fields with dogs called hounds and try to catch and kill foxes, as a sport.
She liked to hunt as often as she could. V, Also V n
Hunt is also a noun., n-count
The hunt was held on land owned by the Duke of Marlborough.
5 n-count In Britain, a hunt is a group of people who meet regularly to hunt foxes.
6 If a team or competitor is in the huntfor something, they still have a chance of winning it.
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in the hunt phrase usu v-link PHR for
We're still in the hunt for the League title and we want to go all the way in the Cup.
7 →
hunting →
witch-hunt hunt down phrasal verb If you hunt down a criminal or an enemy, you find them after searching for them. Last December they hunted down and killed one of the gangsters... V P n (not pron) It took her four months to hunt him down. V n P hunt out phrasal verb If you hunt out something that is hidden or difficult to find, you search for it and eventually find it.
(=dig out) I'll try and hunt out the information you need... V P n (not pron) American consumers are accustomed to hunting out bargains. V P n (not pron), Also V n P
hunt saboteur ( hunt saboteurs plural ) A hunt saboteur is someone who tries to stop a hunt from taking place or being successful because they believe it is cruel to the animal being hunted. n-count
witch-hunt ( witch-hunts plural ) A witch-hunt is an attempt to find and punish a particular group of people who are being blamed for something, often simply because of their opinions and not because they have actually done anything wrong. n-count oft N against n (disapproval)