hunt down

verb

hunted down; hunting down; hunts down
1
: to succeed in finding (something)
It may take me a while to hunt down the phone number.
2
: to find and capture (someone)
The killer was hunted down with help from his relatives.

Examples of hunt down in a Sentence

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.
Harkness’s men hunt down people who could connect him to a decades-old MI5 secret and the shopping center bombing. — Encyclopedia Britannica, 17 Aug. 2026 Trump denies that there’s a weapons shortage, and vows to hunt down whoever leaked details of the weapons shortage that definitely doesn’t exist. — Rachel Marsden, Hartford Courant, 15 Aug. 2026 For some reason, the Russian villain has partnered up with Trask and is hunting down his old Team X pals. — Jordan Moreau, Variety, 13 Aug. 2026 Most wasps are solitary insects that mind their own business, pollinating flowers and hunting down pests in the garden. — Brandee Gruener, Southern Living, 13 Aug. 2026 See All Example Sentences for hunt down

Rhymes for hunt down

See All Rhymes for hunt down

Browse Nearby Words

huntboard
hunt down
hunter
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Hunt down.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/hunt%20down. Accessed 20 Aug. 2026.

Copy Citation
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of divulge

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

How to Pronounce the Trickiest Menu Items

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Do you 'say your piece' or 'say your peace'?

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

Words from the 'Odyssey'

The Longest Long Words List

Even More Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World

Why do we 'bury the lede?'
See More

Popular

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

Words from the 'Odyssey'

The Longest Long Words List
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
image of a green cube out of place in a lineup of red spheres
Odd Word Out: Synonyms Vol. 2 Quiz Figure out which word isn't like the others.
See All