Meaning & use
hunt
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Meanings
verbtransitive or intransitive
To chase and kill wild animals for food, sport, or to control their numbers.
Grammar: Can take an object (hunt deer) or stand alone (go hunting).
Patterns
- hunt something
- hunt for something
- go hunting
In some rural areas, people still hunt rabbits for food.
The king loved to hunt in the forest.
They hunted wild boar with dogs and spears.
verbintransitive
To search for something or someone with care and effort.
Grammar: Usually followed by 'for': hunt for a job. You can also say hunt around.
Patterns
- hunt for something
- hunt around
- hunt through something
She's been hunting for a new apartment for weeks.
I hunted through my bag for my keys.
Police are hunting for the missing child.
nouncountable
An act of chasing animals, or a careful search for something.
Grammar: Countable: a hunt, the hunt, two hunts. Often used with 'for'.
Patterns
- a hunt for something
- go on a hunt
- the hunt is on
The hunt for the lost hikers lasted three days.
They went on a treasure hunt in the garden.
The hunt for a new manager is still going on.
Word forms
| third person singular | hunts |
|---|---|
| past tense | hunted |
| past participle | hunted |
| -ing form | hunting |
| plural | hunts |
Common combinations
- hunt for a job
- He spent the summer hunting for a job.
- job hunt
- Her job hunt took longer than expected.
- hunt down
- The police finally hunted down the thief.
- hunt in packs
- Wolves usually hunt in packs.
- hunt high and low
- I hunted high and low for my passport.
Synonyms and how they differ
Word family
- hunter noun
- A person who hunts animals.
- hunting noun
- The activity of chasing and killing animals.
- hunted adjective
- Chased or killed by hunters; also used for a worried look.
Commonly confused: hunt or hunt?
hunt vs hunt
Do not confuse with 'hurt' (to cause pain) or 'haunt' (to visit a place often, or for a ghost to appear).
Practice
Choose the correct sentence:
Choose one answer.
When you mean 'search', the verb 'hunt' is followed by 'for': hunt for something. 'Hunt' without a preposition usually means chasing animals, so option 0 sounds like she is chasing her keys as prey.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “hunt”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.