hunting

hunting — noun

1. The activity of going after wild animals or birds in order to catch or kill them

1.nounB1
Definition

The activity of going after wild animals or birds in order to catch or kill them, usually for food, for enjoyment, or to sell what you get from them.

Example

The Lakshmi family has been hunting deer in these forests for generations.

collocation: hunting + specific animal (deer)

Aaron went hunting with his uncle during the winter break.

collocation: go hunting (activity pattern)

Common collocations
  • hunting season
  • hunting trip
  • hunting knife
  • hunting dog
  • hunting ground
  • go hunting
  • hunting for food
Synonyms
  • shooting

    focuses on using a gun, narrower scope than hunting

  • trapping

    using traps or snares rather than pursuing actively

  • stalking

    following prey quietly and secretly, a technique within hunting

Antonyms
  • conservation

    the opposite goal — protecting animals rather than killing them

Grammar Patterns

hunting + noun (as modifier)

go + hunting

Usage Note

Often used with 'go' as in 'go hunting' to describe the activity. Distinguished from 'poaching', which means hunting illegally.

Common Mistakes

The hunter was poaching deer in the national park' (when meaning legal hunting).
The hunter was hunting deer in the national park during the legal season.
'poaching' means hunting without permission or outside the law; 'hunting' is the general legal term.

2. A traditional outdoor activity in Britain and a few other countries where people

2.nounB2
Definition

A traditional outdoor activity in Britain and a few other countries where people ride horses and use specially trained dogs to chase and kill a fox, now banned in the UK.

Example

Fox hunting with dogs was banned in the UK in 2004.

collocation: fox hunting with dogs

Hamza watched a documentary about the history of fox hunting in Britain.

Common collocations
  • fox hunting ban
  • fox hunting season
  • hunting with hounds
  • fox hunt
  • anti-hunting protest

Grammar Patterns

fox + hunting (compound)

hunting + with dogs

Usage Note

Fox hunting with hounds was made illegal in England and Wales by the Hunting Act 2004, though some forms of trail hunting (laying an artificial scent) continue.

Common Mistakes

Fox hunting is a popular sport across all of Europe.
Fox hunting was traditionally practiced in Britain and Ireland.
the practice is strongly associated with British culture and is now banned in the UK.

3. Searching hard for something that you want or need, such as a job, a new home, o

3.nounB1
Definition

Searching hard for something that you want or need, such as a job, a new home, or a bargain.

Example

Putri spent the weekend hunting for a good used car online.

collocation: hunting for [objects]

Mizuki finally gave up hunting for her lost earring after two hours.

collocation: hunting for lost items

Common collocations
  • job hunting
  • house hunting
  • bargain hunting
  • hunt for
  • treasure hunting
  • hunting for clues
Synonyms
  • searching

    more general and neutral; hunting implies greater effort and determination

  • seeking

    more formal, often used in written English

  • scouring

    implies searching every part of a place very thoroughly

Antonyms
  • finding

    the successful end point that contrasts with the effort of hunting

Grammar Patterns

hunting + for + noun

noun + hunting (compound)

Usage Note

Commonly appears in compound nouns such as job hunting, house hunting, bargain hunting, and treasure hunting. The pattern 'hunting for + noun' is interchangeable with 'searching for' but often implies more effort or difficulty.

Common Mistakes

I am going job hunting for a new position.
I am going to hunt for a new job.' or 'I am job hunting.
'job hunting' already includes the object; adding 'for a job' is redundant.
Idioms

happy hunting ground

idiom

A place where you can find many opportunities, interesting things, or exactly what you are looking for.

The weekend market is a happy hunting ground for collectors of vintage records.

The library's archive section became Alessia's happy hunting ground for her history project.

hunting ground

idiom

A place where something can be easily found, obtained, or happens frequently.

The campus job fair was a good hunting ground for summer internships.

Coastal tide pools are a rich hunting ground for marine biologists.

Word family

  • hunt
    verbA2
  • hunter
    nounB1
  • hunted
    adjectiveB2
  • huntress
    nounC2

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

All four words relate to pursuing wild animals, but each describes a different method or legal status. 'Shooting' focuses on the use of a gun and can also refer to target practice with no animal involved. 'Trapping' means using snares, cages, or pits to catch animals — the hunter sets a device and returns later rather than pursuing the animal actively. 'Poaching' is the illegal version of any of these activities — hunting without a license, on private land, or during a closed season. 'Stalking' is a stealth technique within hunting where the person moves slowly and quietly to get close to prey. A hunter may stalk an animal before shooting it, but not everyone who stalks intends to kill — wildlife photographers also stalk their subjects. In everyday use, 'hunting' is the broadest and most neutral term; the others add information about method, legality, or intensity.

shooting ↗trappingpoachingstalking

Common collocations

Nouns

Adverbs

Phrases

Prepositions

Etymology

Old EnglishProto-GermanicEnglish

The word 'hunting' comes from the Old English verb 'huntian', meaning to chase or capture game animals. This word is related to similar terms in other Germanic languages, such as the Old High German 'hunda' (booty, spoil). Originally the word referred only to the pursuit of wild animals for food, but by the 1600s it had already taken on the broader meaning of 'searching diligently for anything,' as in 'hunting for answers' or 'hunting for treasure.'