Meaning & use
bounty hunters
Last updated
“bounty hunters” is a form of “bounty hunter”.
Meanings
nounplural
People who track down wanted people or fugitives in return for a reward payment.
Grammar: Plural of bounty hunter: bounty hunters search for fugitives.
Patterns
- bounty hunters for someone
- hired as bounty hunters
Bounty hunters tracked the man across three states.
The bail company hired bounty hunters to find him.
In old westerns, bounty hunters ride into town.
nounpluralfigurative
People who search for rewards or prizes offered for finding something, such as software bugs.
Grammar: Plural; used loosely and often in technology.
Patterns
- bug bounty hunters
Bug bounty hunters earn money by finding security flaws.
Online bounty hunters compete to find stolen files.
Tech firms welcome bounty hunters who report bugs.
Word forms
| singular | bounty hunter |
|---|
Common combinations
- hire bounty hunters
- The agency hired bounty hunters.
- professional bounty hunters
- Professional bounty hunters follow strict rules.
- bounty hunters track
- Bounty hunters track fugitives.
- bug bounty hunters
- Bug bounty hunters test websites.
Synonyms and how they differ
- fugitive recovery agents
- This is the formal job title in some places, while bounty hunters is the everyday term.
- trackers
- Trackers follow any trail and may not be paid by reward.
- manhunters
- Manhunters is rarer and focuses on chasing people, with no mention of a reward.
Opposites
Word family
Commonly confused: bounty hunters or bounty?
bounty hunters vs bounty
Bounty alone often means a generous supply or a reward, and is not a person.
Practice
The bail company paid ______ to find the man who skipped his court date.
Choose one answer.
Bounty hunters track fugitives for a reward. The other jobs do not involve catching wanted people.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “bounty hunters”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.