hound

1 of 2

noun

ˈhau̇nd How to pronounce hound (audio)
Synonyms of houndnext
1
a
: dog
b
: a dog of any of numerous hunting breeds including both scent hounds (such as the bloodhound and beagle) and sight hounds (such as the greyhound and Afghan hound)
2
: a mean or despicable person
3
: dogfish
4
: a person who pursues like a hound
especially : one who avidly seeks or collects something
autograph hounds

hound

2 of 2

verb

hounded; hounding; hounds

transitive verb

1
: to pursue with or as if with hounds
2
: to drive or affect by persistent harassing
hounder noun

Synonyms

Noun

Verb

See All Synonyms & Antonyms in Thesaurus
Choose the Right Synonym for hound

bait, badger, heckle, hector, chivy, hound mean to harass by efforts to break down.

bait implies wanton cruelty or delight in persecuting a helpless victim.

baited the chained dog

badger implies pestering so as to drive a person to confusion or frenzy.

badgered her father for a car

heckle implies persistent annoying or belligerent interruptions of a speaker.

drunks heckled the stand-up comic

hector carries an implication of bullying and domineering.

football players hectored by their coach

chivy suggests persecution by teasing or nagging.

chivied the new student mercilessly

hound implies unrelenting pursuit and harassing.

hounded by creditors

Examples of hound in a Sentence

Noun in the yard an old hound greeted us with a single bark a camera hound even before the baby arrived, he's now become obsessive Verb
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Noun
The Times reported that the hunters' hounds had brought the 10-month-old cubs out of the woods. — Josh Hammer, Newsweek, 19 Mar. 2025 And yet, once again, as summer music lineups land this month and 14-year-olds in Lake Forest hound their parents for a spare $400 to attend another weekend-long sauna along Michigan Avenue, Lollapalooza promises to be a blockbuster. — Christopher Borrelli, Chicago Tribune, 18 Mar. 2025
Verb
Others, however, heralded the show as an aspirational escape, and hit back at detractors for continuing to hound a woman who has been open about the effects of public bullying. — Anna Kaufman, USA TODAY, 13 Mar. 2025 In the novel, Adichie vividly imagines the lawyerly grilling, the media hounding, the experience of being ambushed and isolated. — Tyler Austin Harper, The Atlantic, 5 Mar. 2025 See All Example Sentences for hound

Word History

Etymology

Noun

Middle English, from Old English hund; akin to Old High German hunt dog, Latin canis, Greek kyōn

First Known Use

Noun

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Verb

1528, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of hound was before the 12th century

Phrases Containing hound

Rhymes for hound

See All Rhymes for hound

Browse Nearby Words

hounce
hound
hound's-tongue
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Hound.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/hound. Accessed 30 Mar. 2025.

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Kids Definition

hound

1 of 2 noun
ˈhau̇nd How to pronounce hound (audio)
1
: dog entry 1 sense 1a
2
: a dog of any of various hunting breeds having large drooping ears and a deep voice and following their prey by scent or sight

hound

2 of 2 verb
: to pursue with or as if with hounds

More from Merriam-Webster on hound

Nglish: Translation of hound for Spanish Speakers

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about hound

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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