hunt

hunt1 [ hʌnt ] verb **

1. ) intransitive or transitive to kill animals for food or for their skin or other parts, or for sport:

Crocodiles were hunted and killed for their teeth.

hunt for: We hunted for rabbits in the hills.

a ) to catch and eat other animals. Animals that do this are predators and the animals they catch and eat are their prey:

Wild dogs usually hunt in packs.

2. ) intransitive or transitive to try to find someone or something:

Police are still hunting the killer.

hunt for: Detectives have been hunting for clues to the murderer's identity.

a ) intransitive to try to find something you want or have lost:

hunt for: He began by hunting around for information.

hunt through/over/around: I've hunted all over the house for my keys.

,hunt `down phrasal verb transitive

1. ) to try to find every member of a group:

Those who protested were hunted down and killed.

2. ) to try to find a particular thing or person:

They'll actually hunt down old books for you.

,hunt `out phrasal verb transitive

1. ) to look for and kill a type of animal until there are no more or very few left

2. ) to search very hard for something:

August is a good time to hunt out bargains.

3. ) to look for members of a particular group in order to arrest or kill them:

Most of the rebels were hunted out and killed.

hunt

hunt 2 [ hʌnt ] noun count *

1. ) a search for someone:

hunt for: A nationwide hunt has been launched for the missing child.

a ) a search for something that you have lost, need, or want:

hunt for: The hunt for a cure for cancer continues.

2. ) the activity of looking for and killing animals:

a lion hunt

a ) mainly in the U.K., an occasion when people on horses chase FOXES as a sport. The people who do this are also known as the hunt.