hunter
nounUK /ˈhʌntə/ · US /ˈhʌntɚ/
Etymology From Middle English huntere, hunter, equivalent to hunt + -er. Compare Old English hunta (“hunter”).
7 senses
- 1One who hunts game for sport or for food; a huntsman or…
- 2A dog used in hunting; a hunting dog.
- 3A horse used in hunting, especially a thoroughbred, bred…
- 4One who hunts or seeks after anything.
- 5A person who bottles up their aggression and eventually…
- 6A kind of spider, the huntsman or hunting spider.
- 7A pocket watch with a spring-hinged circular metal cover…
1
One who hunts game for sport or for food; a huntsman or huntswoman.
2
A dog used in hunting; a hunting dog.
- thy intercepter, full of despite, bloody as the hunter, attends thee at the orchard endc. 1601–1602 (date written), William Shakespeare, “Twelfe Night, or What You Will”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act III, scene iv]:
3
A horse used in hunting, especially a thoroughbred, bred and trained for hunting.
- ‘His favourite Hunter who was turned out in the park on his going abroad, somehow or other fell ill […] .’c. 1792–3, Jane Austen, ‘Catharine, or The Bower’, Juvenilia
- a sound, swift, well-bred hunter and roadster1857–1859, W[illiam] M[akepeace] Thackeray, The Virginians. A Tale of the Last Century, volume (please specify |volume=I or II), London: Bradbury & Evans, […], published 1858–1859, →OCLC:
2 more examples
- No one, however, thought of the haughty and secluded young gentleman who […] when he rode on his black hunter into Dublin, avoided the village, and took the high-road by Inchicore.1863, J[oseph] Sheridan Le Fanu, “About the Rightful Mrs. Nutter of the Mills, and How Mr. Mervyn Received the News”, in The House by the Church-yard. […], volume III, London: Tinsley, Brothers, […], →OCLC, page 258:
- Henry, laughing, spurs away his hunter under the dripping trees.2009, Hilary Mantel, Wolf Hall, Fourth Estate, published 2010, page 480:
4
One who hunts or seeks after anything.
- The hunter becomes the hunted.
- a fortune hunter
2 more examples
- You know right well, how meek soe'er he seem, / No keener hunter after glory breathes.1859, Alfred Tennyson, “Elaine”, in Idylls of the King, London: Edward Moxon & Co., […], →OCLC, page 155:
- Offmunson he's called, and a bright young pedigree-hunter has traced his descent from Offa, King of Mercia.1914, Ernest Bramah, Max Carrados:
5
Human sciences, Psychology, Sciences A person who bottles up their aggression and eventually releases it explosively.
- Although their behavior does not have the same impact as hunters, howlers nevertheless distract the public figure and compel security and law enforcement […]2008, J. Reid Meloy, Lorraine Sheridan, Jens Hoffmann, Stalking, Threatening, and Attacking Public Figures, page 121:
- Hunters stalk their targets, make detailed plans, acquire and practice with weapons, and try to hurt or kill people. Howlers make bomb threats to schools, malls, churches, businesses, and government offices.2015, Steve Albrecht, Library Security: Better Communication, Safer Facilities:
6
A kind of spider, the huntsman or hunting spider.
7
A pocket watch with a spring-hinged circular metal cover that closes over the dial and crystal, protecting them from dust and scratches.
- Derived terms
79 terms
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- fortune hunter, headhunter, white hunter