hunt

The word “hunt” means to chase and kill wild animals for food or sport. In plain terms, to chase animals to kill them, or more generally, to search hard for something.

“Hunt” is pronounced huhnt (/hʌnt/ in IPA).

Here is “hunt” used in a sentence: “Wolves hunt in packs to bring down larger prey.”

Depending on how it is used, “hunt” can be a verb and a noun.

The word “hunt” comes from Old English. From Old English huntian, "to hunt," from a Proto-Germanic root possibly connected to an Indo-European word meaning "to catch or seize.".

“Hunt” is a fairly common word in modern English, usually learned at around the B1 level.

“Hunt” has 3 distinct senses listed in this dictionary. The most common is: to chase and kill wild animals for food or sport.

Hunting is chasing and killing wild animals, typically within the law and its seasons, licences and limits. Poaching is hunting illegally — taking animals without permission, out of season, or where it is banned. The act can look the same; the difference is whether it breaks the law.

No. Hunt has a common second sense: to search hard for something, as in "hunt for your keys" or "job hunting." Here it keeps the idea of pursuit but drops the killing. Context makes clear whether someone is hunting deer or hunting for a bargain.

Hunting takes many forms, often named for the quarry or method — deer hunting, bird or game hunting, fox hunting, and bow or rifle hunting. It may be done for food, for sport, or to control animal populations, and the rules vary widely from place to place.