hound 1 of 2

Definition of houndnext
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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

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
Veronica, a pug with a spiky pink collar, trudged alongside her sister Betty, a thirteen-year-old hound, in Princeton one recent wet morning. Gabriel Debenedetti, New Yorker, 13 Apr. 2026 To the lower right of Sirius is Mirzam, a dimmer but distinct star that marks the hound’s elevated paw. Mike Lynch, Twin Cities, 12 Apr. 2026
Verb
This disparity continues to hound a league where the majority of the players are Black, but the coaches and front office decision makers are not. Mac Engel march 30, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 30 Mar. 2026 His instincts, like his techniques, are relentlessly up-to-the-minute; Orsolya is hounded by not only her guilty conscience but also the demons of social media. Justin Chang, New Yorker, 27 Mar. 2026 See All Example Sentences for hound
Recent Examples of Synonyms for hound
Noun
  • In recent years, Ed Sheeran slipped behind the counter, gamely slinging dogs and taking his fair share of abuse from the staff.
    Jimmy Jellinek, SPIN, 27 Apr. 2026
  • During the day, McKinley Park is filled with activity, from dog walkers and joggers to families enjoying the outdoors.
    Conor McGill, CBS News, 27 Apr. 2026
Noun
  • Some, like Chloe’s triad, are all lovers.
    Sonja Sharp, Los Angeles Times, 25 Apr. 2026
  • Some Disney lovers worry the small back walkway near Country Bear Musical Jamboree, a longtime sit-down attraction, could close as Frontierland shifts toward the Piston Peak setting, the blogs reported.
    Jessica Mekles, FOXNews.com, 25 Apr. 2026
Noun
  • In its earlier days, The Boys might have done something with how Nanjiani’s Eternals and Rogen’s The Green Hornet both underperformed, and the Kick-Ass movies in which Mintz-Plasse played a villain left little cultural footprint.
    Roxana Hadadi, Vulture, 29 Apr. 2026
  • Most of his videos, filmed in a local studio or sometimes on the streets of Charlotte, are high-quality shorts showing him in throes of battle with classic villains like Killer Croc or Bane.
    Charlotte Observer, Charlotte Observer, 29 Apr. 2026
Verb
  • The Packers are chasing a fourth straight playoff berth after going 9-8-1 and losing 31-27 to the Chicago Bears in the NFC wild-card playoff round last season.
    Steve Megargee, Chicago Tribune, 25 Apr. 2026
  • Joseph Wright chased that question in the set of paintings that the National Gallery is currently exhibiting.
    Julian Bell, The New York Review of Books, 25 Apr. 2026
Verb
  • Shortly after the ruling, Republicans were urging a review of their congressional maps in Louisiana, Tennessee and elsewhere.
    Nicholas Riccardi, Chicago Tribune, 30 Apr. 2026
  • With the new dietary guidelines urging a boost in daily protein, especially red meat, high-fiber foods might get left behind.
    Kaitlin Sullivan, NBC news, 29 Apr. 2026
Noun
  • Snip upright suckers and water sprouts that zap the tree’s energy.
    Karen Brewer Grossman, Southern Living, 17 Apr. 2026
  • But to think that suckers get an even break when insiders have information that assures them of winning is folly.
    William Mersey, New York Daily News, 8 Apr. 2026
Noun
  • This time the closing hole was a brute, the toughest at Harbour Town on Sunday.
    ABC News, ABC News, 19 Apr. 2026
  • And what better way to force that out of her than to put her up against a brute of a man who has all the confidence in the world?
    Jason P. Frank, Vulture, 16 Apr. 2026
Noun
  • There’s an almost-friendship-ending rift over husbands (Brent Thiessen is Cee Cee’s, a cool-guy theater director; Ben Jacoby is Bertie’s, a rich jerk) that feels deeply dated and, in the context of the women’s tell-each-other-everything friendship, just plain weird.
    Sara Holdren, Vulture, 23 Apr. 2026
  • The jerk chicken is rubbed in a sweet honey glaze.
    Jenn Harris, Los Angeles Times, 20 Apr. 2026

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Cite this Entry

“Hound.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/hound. Accessed 2 May. 2026.

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