Definition of hunt verb from the Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary

hunt

verb

hʌnt

hʌnt

1 [intransitive, transitive] to chase wild animals or birds in order to catch or kill them for food, sport or to make moneyLions sometimes hunt alone.hunt something Whales are still being hunted and killed in the Arctic.

2 [intransitive] to look for something that is difficult to find

Synonym

searchI've hunted everywhere but I can't find it.hunt for something She is still hunting for a new job.

3 [transitive, intransitive] to look for somebody in order to catch them or harm themhunt somebody Police are hunting an escaped criminal.hunt for somebody Detectives are hunting for thieves who broke into a warehouse yesterday.4 [intransitive, transitive] hunt (something) (in Britain) to chase and kill foxes as a sport, riding horses and using dogs. Fox-hunting with dogs has been illegal in the UK since 2005.

Phrasal verbs

hunt somebody down

to search for somebody until you catch or find them, especially in order to punish or harm themThe President warned that terrorists would be hunted down.

hunt something down/out

to search for something until you find itWe hunted down their phone number and gave them a call.I hunted out my old school photos to show Mary.