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.
[disapproval]
witch hunt in British English
(wɪtʃ hʌnt)
noun
another name for witch-hunt
witch-hunt in British English
noun
a rigorous campaign to round up or expose dissenters on the pretext of safeguarding the welfare of the public
Derived forms
witch-hunter (ˈwitch-ˌhunter)
noun
witch-hunting (ˈwitch-ˌhunting)
noun, adjective
witch hunt in American English
an investigation carried out ostensibly to uncover disloyalty, subversive political activity, etc., usually conducted with much publicity and often relying upon inconclusive evidence and capitalizing on public fear of unpopular opinions
Derived forms
witch hunter
Word origin
so named in allusion to persecutions of persons alleged to be witches
Examples of 'witch hunt' in a sentence
witch hunt
But we're not conducting a witch hunt, we're investigating a murder.
Nabb, Magdalen THE MARSHAL AND THE MURDERER (1989)
This is a political witch-hunt.
Times, Sunday Times (2013)
In other languages
witch-hunt
British English: witch-hunt NOUN
A witch-hunt is an attempt to find and punish a particular group of people who are being blamed for something.
He led the witch-hunt against alleged communists in the 1950s.