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hound

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verb

Synonym Chooser

How is the word hound distinct from other similar verbs?

Some common synonyms of hound are badger, bait, chivy, heckle, and hector. While all these words mean "to harass by efforts to break down," hound implies unrelenting pursuit and harassing.

hounded by creditors

When could badger be used to replace hound?

The words badger and hound can be used in similar contexts, but badger implies pestering so as to drive a person to confusion or frenzy.

badgered her father for a car

Where would bait be a reasonable alternative to hound?

While the synonyms bait and hound are close in meaning, bait implies wanton cruelty or delight in persecuting a helpless victim.

baited the chained dog

When is it sensible to use chivy instead of hound?

Although the words chivy and hound have much in common, chivy suggests persecution by teasing or nagging.

chivied the new student mercilessly

In what contexts can heckle take the place of hound?

The words heckle and hound are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, heckle implies persistent annoying or belligerent interruptions of a speaker.

drunks heckled the stand-up comic

When can hector be used instead of hound?

While in some cases nearly identical to hound, hector carries an implication of bullying and domineering.

football players hectored by their coach

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of hound
Noun
Lions coming out of a tree to engage the hounds that chased it there. Malcolm Brooks Malcolm Hillgartner Krish Seenivasan Zak Mouton, New York Times, 31 Dec. 2024 Greyhounds and Basset hounds are also more predisposed to trancing. Matt Robison, Newsweek, 24 Feb. 2025
Verb
This is not one of Kansas coach Bill Self’s better teams, as even the Hall of Famer navigates the same types of problems that hound Dixon’s team. Mac Engel, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 23 Jan. 2025 Jarred Vanderbilt set the tone by hounding him the length of the court, picking up fouls away from the ball. Bennett Durando, The Denver Post, 23 Feb. 2025 See All Example Sentences for hound
Recent Examples of Synonyms for hound
Noun
  • The couple was seen taking a stroll on a N.Y.C. street with Bosworth's dog, Happy, on Tuesday.
    Ingrid Vasquez, Peoplemag, 13 Sep. 2023
  • Police brought in hundreds of law enforcement personnel with dogs, armored carriers, horses and helicopters that circled overhead.
    Maryclaire Dale, Marc Levy and Michael Rubinkam, Anchorage Daily News, 13 Sep. 2023
Noun
  • Despite his hardened outlook on Heis, Rema remains a lover at heart.
    Mankaprr Conteh, Rolling Stone, 14 Mar. 2025
  • The must-read Just under a two-hour drive northwest from L.A., the Ojai Valley offers outdoors lovers an opportunity to unwind and reconnect with the world around them.
    Jaclyn Cosgrove, Los Angeles Times, 13 Mar. 2025
Noun
  • Tenoch Huerta Mejia Mejia debuted as the villain Namor in Wakanda Forever and was responsible for the death of Queen Romanda (Angela Bassett) in that film.
    Eliana Dockterman, Time, 26 Mar. 2025
  • There are no villains or scary scenes in this gentle story about a young witch finding her way in the world.
    Anna Earl, Parents, 26 Mar. 2025
Verb
  • Equally, especially after letdowns in the Champions League and the cup competitions, Díaz has more dreams to chase at Anfield, knowing that head coach Arne Slot’s promising project remains in the embryonic stages.
    Henry Flynn, Forbes, 18 Mar. 2025
  • Beckford had just been chased from the scene of a drug-den murder.
    Miami Herald Archives, Miami Herald, 17 Mar. 2025
Verb
  • Don’t Stay In Environments That Don’t Support Gender Parity Dr. Thomas urges women to assess whether staying in toxic environments is worth the emotional toll.
    Gena Cox, Forbes, 23 Mar. 2025
  • Police urged any potential witnesses to submit video footage of the shooting or of people with guns.
    Jeanine Santucci, USA TODAY, 22 Mar. 2025
Noun
  • Psychologically, the fear of being a sucker is a distinctly aversive feeling.
    Tess Wilkinson-Ryan, TIME, 18 Mar. 2025
  • My theory is that this sticky sucker is so tough to slice that the poor bakery employee said screw it.
    Martin Vassolo, Axios, 14 Mar. 2025
Noun
  • By the end of the episode, the audience is eager to meet the antihero, the brute, that everyone is talking about.
    Maelle Beauget-Uhl, Forbes, 14 Mar. 2025
  • Slinging a sports coat over his pajamas, Long pulls up to a curb and finds Tay (Dustin Nguyen), the Vietnamese speaker, plus two silent brutes, Eddie (Phi Vu) and Aden (Dali Benssalah), who muscle into his car and take over everything: the seating arrangements, the air freshener and their driver.
    Amy Nicholson, Los Angeles Times, 2 Mar. 2025
Noun
  • What a jerk! Neagley fares better, dispatching two button men sent to kill her in her Windy City high-rise office.
    Chris Klimek, Vulture, 13 Mar. 2025
  • If anyone other than Rudd were playing her selfish dad, audiences would be actively rooting for the jerk to get ’corned.
    Peter Debruge, Variety, 9 Mar. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Hound.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/hound. Accessed 29 Mar. 2025.

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