headhunt·ing
ˈhed-ˌhən-tiŋ
variants
or less commonly head-hunting
or head hunting
1
: the act or practice of recruiting personnel and especially executives or elite talent in a field
Headhunting, once a niche activity to fill high-end roles, has gone mainstream.—Lorraine Donoghue
Those aren't the only companies that are replacing online job boards and traditional ads with social media headhunting.—Danielle Kubes
My business of executive search—or head-hunting, as it is commonly known—basically boils down to this intangible notion of "fit". … Head-hunters are paid to spot it and when they do it can produce remarkable results.—Ed Brophy
—often used before another nouna headhunting firm
headhunting services
2
: an attempt or effort to deprive usually political enemies of position or influence
I'd like to be able to say that we don't see headhunting in the Department of Justice.—Bill Barr, quoted in The Washington Post
3
sports
: the practice of physically intimidating or harming one's opponent
His highlight reel now offers a reminder of the even more intense dangers players used to face, before rule changes brought an end to sanctioned headhunting, but it also showcases displays of outrageous nerve.—Robert O'Connell
especially
: the deliberate targeting of the batter's head by a baseball pitcher : the practice of throwing a beanball
Baseball allegedly has adopted a new, get-tough policy against headhunting that allows the umpire to toss a pitcher without warning. —Gerry Callahan
4
: the act or custom of seeking out and decapitating enemies, and preserving their heads as trophies
headhunting
2 of 2present participle of headhunt
Cite this Entry
“Headhunting.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/headhunting. Accessed 28 Mar. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share