hunted
hunted — adjective
1. looking very frightened, worried, or anxious — as if someone is chasing you and
looking very frightened, worried, or anxious — as if someone is chasing you and you cannot escape.
The lost child had a hunted look in his eyes when the police found him.
collocation: hunted look / hunted expression
After three days without sleep, the witness wore a hunted expression that worried the detective.
The stray dog gave a hunted glance over its shoulder before disappearing into the bushes.
collocation: hunted glance
Aunt Mei's hunted eyes told the nurses she had been through something terrible.
There was a hunted quality to the way the refugee stared at every passing car.
- hunted look
- hunted expression
- hunted eyes
- hunted glance
- hunted manner
- terrified
stronger, describes immediate fear rather than a sustained anxious look
- frightened
more general, less specific to the 'chased' feeling
- panicked
more active and urgent, less enduring
Grammar Patterns
hunted + noun (look/expression/eyes)
Usage Note
Almost always used before a noun describing a person's face, eyes, look, expression, or manner. Not used for actual physical fear of immediate danger — more for a deep, ongoing anxiety.
Common Mistakes
2. describes an animal or person that is currently being chased or pursued by someo
describes an animal or person that is currently being chased or pursued by someone or something.
The hunted deer leaped across the stream to escape the wolves.
passive sense: hunted + noun for a creature being chased
Park rangers found the hunted bear hiding in a cave with her cubs.
A hunted fox will often double back on its own tracks to confuse the dogs.
The hunted bird flew low over the marsh, trying to shake the hawk above it.
In the forest, the hunted rabbit froze still, hoping the owl would not spot it.
- hunted animal
- hunted deer
- hunted fox
- hunted bird
- hunted prey
Grammar Patterns
hunted + noun (animal/person)
Usage Note
This is a literal, physical sense: the animal or person is actually being pursued at that moment. Contrast with sense 1 (FRIGHTENED EXPRESSION), which describes an anxious appearance without actual pursuit.
Common Mistakes
hunted — verb
1. to chase and kill wild animals for food, for sport, or to control their numbers.
to chase and kill wild animals for food, for sport, or to control their numbers.
The villagers hunted rabbits in the hills to feed their families during the winter.
transitive: hunt + specific animal
Every autumn, the Watanabe family goes hunting for wild boar in the northern forest.
intransitive: go hunting + for + animal
The park hired a professional team to hunt the invasive deer that were damaging the trees.
Local laws say you may only hunt ducks during the autumn season with a valid licence.
transitive with legal restriction context
Grandfather taught his grandchildren to hunt, but only for food, never for sport.
- hunt deer
- hunt rabbits
- go hunting
- hunt for food
- hunting season
- hunting licence
Grammar Patterns
hunt + animal
hunt for + animal
go hunting
Usage Note
Can be used transitively (hunt + animal) or intransitively (hunt for + animal, go hunting). The intransitive 'go hunting' is very common in British English for describing the activity as a hobby.
Common Mistakes
2. to chase someone in order to catch them, especially when they are trying to hide
to chase someone in order to catch them, especially when they are trying to hide or escape.
Police hunted the escaped prisoner through the swamps for three days before catching him.
transitive: hunt + person being chased
The thieves were hunted by security cameras and a tracking device hidden in the van.
passive: be hunted by + agents
Detective Okonkwo hunted the suspect across three states before finding him in a small motel.
During the war, soldiers hunted down anyone who helped the resistance fighters.
- hunt a suspect
- hunt a criminal
- hunt down
- hunted by police
- hunted fugitive
- chase
more general, can be playful; 'hunt' is more serious and determined
- pursue
more formal, used in legal or military contexts
- track down
emphasises finding someone who is hiding
Grammar Patterns
hunt + person
be hunted by + person/group
Usage Note
Commonly used for law enforcement pursuing criminals, or soldiers pursuing enemies. The phrasal verb 'hunt down' adds a sense of persistence until capture.
3. to look carefully for something or someone that you want or need.
to look carefully for something or someone that you want or need.
Nadia spent the whole morning hunting for her car keys before finding them under the sofa.
intransitive + for: hunt for + object being searched
The library assistant was hunting for a rare book that a student had requested.
Thousands of graduates hunt for jobs every summer after finishing their degrees.
hunt for + abstract noun (job)
The old farmer hunted for his lost sheep in the valley until the sun went down.
We hunted for a flat near the train station for weeks before finding one we could afford.
hunt for + property/home
- hunt for a job
- hunt for keys
- hunt for bargains
- hunt for a flat
- hunt for clues
- search for
more formal, similar urgency
- look for
more general, less urgent than 'hunt for'
- seek
formal, often used in writing
Grammar Patterns
hunt for + something/someone
Usage Note
Always takes the preposition 'for' after the verb. Cannot be used transitively in this sense (❌ 'I hunted a good restaurant'). Stronger and more urgent than 'look for', suggesting effort and persistence.
Common Mistakes
hunt down
phrasal verbto search for someone or something until you find and catch them, especially after a long effort.
The journalist hunted down the only witness who had seen the accident from her window.
The police vowed to hunt down every person involved in the bank robbery.
hunt out
phrasal verbto search for and find something that is hidden, old, or hard to get.
Grandma hunted out her old photo albums to show the children pictures of their father as a boy.
The mechanic hunted out the spare part from a box of old engine components in the back shed.
hunted — noun
1. the activity of chasing and killing wild animals for food, sport, or population
the activity of chasing and killing wild animals for food, sport, or population control.
The hunt begins at dawn, when the deer come down to the river to drink.
the + hunt as a specific event
Many people in the village depend on the winter hunt to put meat on the table.
Local rules strictly limit the hunt to certain months of the year to protect wildlife.
The old hunter told stories about the great hunt that had fed the entire tribe through the hard winter.
the great hunt: referring to a famous or important hunting event
The Watanabe family has participated in the annual deer hunt for three generations.
- the hunt begins
- the annual hunt
- go on a hunt
- join the hunt
- winter hunt
Grammar Patterns
the hunt
a hunt for + prey
go on a hunt
Usage Note
Can be uncountable ('Hunt is a traditional skill') when talking about the activity in general, or countable with 'the' when referring to a specific event. 'A hunt' implies a particular organised event.
Common Mistakes
2. a group of people riding horses and using dogs to chase foxes or other animals,
a group of people riding horses and using dogs to chase foxes or other animals, especially as a traditional social event.
The hunt gathered at the castle gates before riding out across the frosty fields.
the hunt = the group of hunters on horseback
The hunt master blew his horn to signal the hounds to start chasing the fox.
A hunt of nearly fifty riders crossed the estate, with the dogs barking ahead of them.
a hunt of + number: specifying the group size
The local hunt meets every Saturday morning during autumn in the village square.
Villagers protested when the hunt rode through their farmland and damaged the fences.
- the hunt meets
- the hunt master
- join the hunt
- ride with the hunt
- the hunt gathered
- hunting party
more general, less tied to the traditional fox-hunting context
- hunters
refers to the people themselves, not the organised group
Grammar Patterns
a hunt of + number + people/dogs
the hunt + verb (singular/plural)
Usage Note
This is a specific traditional British usage referring to fox hunting on horseback with hounds. Can be treated as singular or plural ('The hunt is/are meeting at dawn'). Now less common due to legal restrictions on fox hunting.
Word family
Synonym discussion
Sense: verb/1
All four words describe pursuing a target, but they differ in method and purpose. 'Hunt' is the broadest term — it means pursuing animals (or people) with the goal of catching or killing them, and often involves planning and the use of tools or weapons. 'Chase' focuses on running after something that is trying to escape; it is faster and more active, and can be playful ('children chasing each other'). 'Track' means following signs left behind — footprints, broken branches, or other clues — rather than pursuing by sight. 'Stalk' is the quietest and most patient method: moving slowly and carefully to get close without being noticed. For example: a poacher might hunt deer at night, a police officer might chase a thief on foot, a tracker might follow a wounded animal by its blood trail, and a cat might stalk a bird before pouncing.
Common collocations
Etymology
The word 'hunt' comes from Old English 'huntian', meaning 'to chase game'. It is related to Old English 'heutan' (to strike, to hit) and possibly to Old High German 'hunda' (a hunter). The past participle 'hunted' has been used as an adjective since the 14th century, originally meaning literally 'pursued by hunters'. The figurative sense ('looking frightened') developed in the early 19th century, comparing a worried person's expression to that of an animal being chased.