hunt

verb

/hʌnt/

Verb Forms

present simple I / you / we / they hunt	/hʌnt/ /hʌnt/
he / she / it hunts	/hʌnts/ /hʌnts/
past simple hunted	/ˈhʌntɪd/ /ˈhʌntɪd/
past participle hunted	/ˈhʌntɪd/ /ˈhʌntɪd/
-ing form hunting	/ˈhʌntɪŋ/ /ˈhʌntɪŋ/

Phrasal Verbs

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[intransitive, transitive] to go after wild animals in order to catch or kill them for food, sport or to make money
- Lions sometimes hunt alone.
- hunt something Whales are still being hunted and killed in the Arctic.
- hunt for something Cavemen had to hunt for their food.
- They watched the bald eagles hunting for fish.
- hunt something for something The animals are hunted for their fur.
- Turtles are illegally hunted for their eggs, meat and shells.
Wordfinder
- chase
- falconry
- game
- hunt
- open season
- pack
- poach
- prey
- safari
- trail
Extra Examples
- Porpoises were still being actively hunted in Greenland.
- The animals come out at night to hunt for mice and other small animals.
- The whales were heavily hunted by British commercial whalers.
- It is now illegal to hunt otters.
Topics Sports: other sportsb1
[intransitive] to look for something that is difficult to find synonym search
- hunt for something She is still hunting for a new job.
- + adv./prep. I've hunted everywhere but I can't find it.
- After spending half an hour hunting through the boxes, he had still found nothing.
see also job-hunt
Extra Examples
- desperately hunting for a new job
- I spent an hour hunting for all the documents.
- She was hunting through her bag for her keys.
[transitive, intransitive] to look for somebody in order to catch them or harm them
- hunt somebody Police are hunting an escaped criminal.
- Two police forces are still hunting the killer of three-year-old Lucy Black.
- hunt for somebody Detectives are hunting for thieves who broke into a warehouse yesterday.
[intransitive, transitive] hunt (something) (in the UK) to go after and kill foxes as a sport, riding horses and using dogs. Fox hunting with dogs has been illegal in England and Wales since 2005, but people still ride out with dogs following a scent trail, without an actual fox.
- They hunt when they stay with friends in Ireland.

Word OriginOld English huntian, of Germanic origin.

hunt

noun

/hʌnt/

Idioms

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[countable, usually singular] an act of looking for somebody/something that is difficult to find
- The hunt is on for a suitable candidate.
- hunt for somebody/something Hundreds have joined a police hunt for the missing teenager.
- on the hunt for somebody/something They have been on the hunt for a new chief executive since July.
- brides-to-be on the hunt for the perfect wedding dress
- a murder hunt (= to find the person who has killed somebody)
see also Easter egg hunt, scavenger hunt, treasure hunt, witch-hunt
Extra Examples
- Detectives leading the hunt for the killer believe he may be in hiding.
- Police are continuing their hunt for the arsonist.
- Police forces in five counties are now involved in the murder hunt.
- Police launched a nationwide hunt for the woman, amid fears for her safety.
- The hunt for survivors has now been called off.
- The hunt is on for potential employees with experience of electronic publishing.
- The mountain rescue team is stepping up its hunt for the missing climbers.
Oxford Collocations Dictionary
adjective
- massive
- nationwide
- police
- …
verb + hunt
- begin
- launch
- continue
- …
hunt + verb
- begin
- be on
- continue
- …
preposition
- hunt for
See full entry
[countable] (often in compounds) an act of going after wild animals to kill or capture them
- a tiger/seal hunt
Oxford Collocations Dictionary
adjective
- bear
- fox
- seal
- …
verb + hunt
- go on
- take part in
hunt + noun
- follower
- supporter
- saboteur
- …
See full entry
[countable] (in the UK) an event at which people ride horses and hunt foxes with dogs as a sport, illegal in Britain since 2005
- There was always a hunt on Boxing Day.
- a hunt meeting
see also fox hunt
Extra Examples
- clashes between hunt supporters and hunt saboteurs
- She had never taken part in a fox hunt before.
- Hunt followers deny the sport is cruel.
Oxford Collocations Dictionary
adjective
- bear
- fox
- seal
- …
verb + hunt
- go on
- take part in
hunt + noun
- follower
- supporter
- saboteur
- …
See full entry
[countable + singular or plural verb] (in the UK) a group of people who regularly hunt foxes as a sport. Since 2005, instead of a fox, they follow a specially laid scent trail.
- There were several different hunts in the area.
Oxford Collocations Dictionary
adjective
- bear
- fox
- seal
- …
verb + hunt
- go on
- take part in
hunt + noun
- follower
- supporter
- saboteur
- …
See full entry

Word OriginOld English huntian, of Germanic origin.

Idioms

be in the hunt

to have a chance of winning
- The team are back in the hunt for the league title.
- The Republican candidate is still in the hunt.

have a dog in the fight

(North American English also have a dog in the race/hunt)

(informal) to be involved in a situation so that you will gain or lose according to the result
- I really don't have a dog in this fight, so I can just enjoy the game.
- The employees have a dog in the hunt, so their views should be listened to.