/ hʌnt; NAmE / verb , noun
■ verb
1.
to chase wild animals or birds in order to catch or kill them for food, sport or to make money :
[ v ]
Lions sometimes hunt alone.
[ vn ]
Whales are still being hunted and killed in the Arctic.
2.
[ v ] hunt (for sth) to look for sth that is difficult to find
SYN search :
I've hunted everywhere but I can't find it.
She is still hunting for a new job.
3.
hunt (for) sb to look for sb in order to catch them or harm them :
[ vn ]
Police are hunting an escaped criminal.
[ v ]
Detectives are hunting for thieves who broke into a warehouse yesterday.
4.
[ v , vn ] (in Britain) to chase and kill foxes as a sport, riding horses and using dogs
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PHRASAL VERBS
- hunt sb down
- hunt sth down / out
■ noun
1.
[ C , usually sing. ] hunt (for sb/sth) an act of looking for sb/sth that is difficult to find :
The hunt is on for a suitable candidate.
Hundreds have joined a police hunt for the missing teenager.
a murder hunt (= to find the person who has killed sb)
—see also treasure hunt , witch-hunt
2.
[ C ] (often in compounds) an act of chasing wild animals to kill or capture them :
a tiger hunt
3.
[ C ] (in Britain) an event at which people ride horses and hunt foxes as a sport :
There will be a hunt on Boxing Day.
a hunt meeting
4.
[ C +sing./pl. v . ] (in Britain) a group of people who regularly hunt foxes as a sport :
There are several different hunts in the area.
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WORD ORIGIN
Old English huntian , of Germanic origin.