hunt

I UK [hʌnt] / US verb
Word forms "hunt":
present tense I/you/we/they hunt he/she/it hunts present participle hunting past tense hunted past participle hunted
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1)

a) [intransitive/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.

b) 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)

a) [intransitive/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.

b) [intransitive] to try to find something that 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.

Phrasal verbs:

- hunt down

- hunt out

- hunt up

II UK [hʌnt] / US noun [countable]
Word forms "hunt":
singular hunt plural hunts
*

1)

a) a search for someone

hunt for:

A nationwide hunt has been launched for the missing child.

murder hunt (= search for a killer):

The detective leading the murder hunt called the crime senseless.

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

hunt for:

The hunt for a cure for cancer continues.

2)

a) the activity of looking for and killing animals

a lion hunt

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