hound
1 Americannoun
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one of any of several breeds of dogs trained to pursue game either by sight or by scent, especially one with a long face and large drooping ears.
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Informal. any dog.
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Slang.
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an unpleasant, mean, or despicable person.
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a man who chases women; a promiscuous man.
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Informal. an ardent fan or devotee.
an autograph hound.
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one of the pursuers in the game of hare and hounds.
verb (used with object)
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to hunt or track with hounds, or as a hound does; pursue.
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to pursue or harass without respite.
Her little brother wouldn't stop hounding her.
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to incite (a hound) to pursuit or attack; urge on.
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Informal. to incite or urge (a person) to do something (often followed byon ).
The committee has been hounded on by those who want these repairs done immediately.
idioms
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ride to hounds, to participate in a hunt, whether as a member of the field or of the hunt staff.
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follow the hounds, to participate in a hunt, especially as a member of the field.
noun
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Nautical. either of a pair of fore-and-aft members at the lower end of the head of a mast, for supporting the trestletrees, that support an upper mast at its heel.
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a horizontal bar or brace, usually one of a pair, for strengthening the running gear of a horse-drawn wagon or the like.
noun
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any of several breeds of dog used for hunting
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( in combination )
an otterhound
a deerhound
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a pack of foxhounds, etc
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a dog, esp one regarded as annoying
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a despicable person
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(in hare and hounds) a runner who pursues a hare
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slang an enthusiast
an autograph hound
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short for houndfish See also nursehound
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to take part in a fox hunt with hounds
verb
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to pursue or chase relentlessly
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to urge on
noun
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either of a pair of horizontal bars that reinforce the running gear of a horse-drawn vehicle
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nautical either of a pair of fore-and-aft braces that serve as supports for a topmast
Other Word Forms
- hounder noun
- houndish adjective
- houndlike adjective
- houndy adjective
- unhounded adjective
Etymology
Origin of hound1
First recorded before 900; Middle English h(o)und, Old English hund; cognate with Dutch hond, Old Norse hundr, Danish, Swedish hund, German Hund, Gothic hunds; akin to Latin canis, Greek kýōn (genitive kynós ), Sanskrit śván (genitive śunas ), Old Irish cú (genitive con ), Welsh ci (plural cwn ), Tocharian A kū, Lithuanian šuõ
Origin of hound2
First recorded in 1175–1225; Middle English houn(e), hune, from Old Norse hūnn “knob at the top of a masthead”
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.
The Old Firm are playing catch-up while being hounded from below.
From BBC
Meanwhile, a runaway slave shows up out back, pursued by hounds, having heard that the Van Lew house is the place to run for help.
From Los Angeles Times
I even coaxed Rowdy, my old bluetick hound, into helping me with this monkey trouble.
From Literature
Beyond that, the main point of similarity between Bessette and Diana is that the paparazzi hounded both – Diana to death, and Bessette to resentful exhaustion.
From Salon
“We ran as fast as we could, but a bloodhound caught our trail and started barking. Right away Jemma knew that hound dog. And she raced ahead to catch up with your daddy. ‘
From Literature
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.
