haunt
Americanverb (used with object)
-
to visit habitually or appear to frequently as a spirit or ghost.
to haunt a house; to haunt a person.
-
to recur persistently to the consciousness of; remain with.
Memories of love haunted him.
-
to visit frequently; go to often.
He haunted the galleries and bars that the artists went to.
- Synonyms:
- frequent
-
to frequent the company of; be often with.
He haunted famous men, hoping to gain celebrity for himself.
-
to disturb or distress; cause to have anxiety; trouble; worry.
His youthful escapades came back to haunt him.
verb (used without object)
-
to reappear continually as a spirit or ghost.
-
to visit habitually or regularly.
-
to remain persistently; loiter; stay; linger.
noun
-
Often haunts. a place frequently visited.
to return to one's old haunts.
-
Chiefly Midland and Southern U.S. and North England. a ghost.
verb
-
to visit (a person or place) in the form of a ghost
-
(tr) to intrude upon or recur to (the memory, thoughts, etc)
he was haunted by the fear of insanity
-
to visit (a place) frequently
-
to associate with (someone) frequently
noun
-
(often plural) a place visited frequently
an old haunt of hers
-
a place to which animals habitually resort for food, drink, shelter, etc
Other Word Forms
- haunter noun
Etymology
Origin of haunt
1200–50; Middle English haunten < Old French hanter to frequent, probably < Old Norse heimta to lead home, derivative of heim homewards; home
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Equally, while Requiem will see the carefully coiffed Leon return to old haunts such as Racoon City's police department from the second game, he and Grace will still explore plenty of new locations too.
From BBC
Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor had just been released from police custody when a haunted photo of him, slumped in the backseat of a car, suddenly dropped.
From BBC
Despite these shortcomings, “The Death of Trotsky” is a tremendously readable book with a haunting message: Vengeance never sleeps.
Joe Talbot hauntingly asks, “Do you love your blessed father? / Anoint by fear of death / Do you feel the lies creep on by? / As soft as baby’s breath.”
From Los Angeles Times
Nottingham Forest did not deserve to lose against Liverpool last week but scoring goals is still a problem for them, and I feel like it could haunt them again here.
From BBC
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
