Definition of 'haunt'
Word forms: plural, 3rd person singular present tense haunts
, present participle haunting
, past tense, past participle haunted
1. verb
If something unpleasant haunts you, you keep thinking or worrying about it over a long period of time.
2. verb
Something that haunts a person or organization regularly causes them problems over a long period of time.
3. countable noun
4. verb
Collins COBUILD Advanced Learner’s Dictionary. Copyright © HarperCollins Publishers
Video: pronunciation of
haunt
British English pronunciation
American English pronunciation
Word Frequency
haunt in British English
verb
2. (transitive)
he was haunted by the fear of injury
3.
to visit (a place) frequently
4.
to associate with (someone) frequently
noun
5. (often plural)
a place visited frequently
an old haunt of hers
Collins English Dictionary. Copyright © HarperCollins Publishers
Derived forms
haunter (ˈhaunter) noun
Word origin
C13: from Old French hanter, of Germanic origin; compare Old Norse heimta to bring home, Old English hāmettan to give a home to; see homeWord Frequency
haunt in American English
verb transitive
1.
to visit (a place) often or continually; frequent
2.
to seek the company or companionship of; run after
noun
6. Dialectal
a ghost
Webster’s New World College Dictionary, 4th Edition. Copyright © 2010 by
Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. All rights reserved.
Word origin
ME haunten < OFr hanter, to frequent < Gmc *haimetan (akin to OE hamettan, to domicile) < *haim, homeWord Frequency
haunt in American English
(hɔnt, hɑːnt, also, for 10 hænt)
transitive verb
1.
to visit habitually or appear to frequently as a spirit or ghost
to haunt a house
to haunt a person
3.
to visit frequently; go to often
He haunted the galleries and bars that the artists went to
4.
to frequent the company of; be often with
He haunted famous men, hoping to gain celebrity for himself
intransitive verb
6.
to reappear continually as a spirit or ghost
7.
to visit habitually or regularly
noun
SYNONYMS 3. frequent. 5. obsess, beset, vex, plague.9. (often haunts)
a place frequently visited
to return to one's old haunts
10. chiefly Midland U.S., Southern U.S. & Northern English
a ghost
Most material © 2005, 1997, 1991 by Penguin Random House LLC. Modified entries © 2019
by Penguin Random House LLC and HarperCollins Publishers Ltd
Derived forms
haunter noun
Word origin
[1200–50; ME haunten ‹ OF hanter to frequent, prob. ‹ ON heimta to lead home, deriv. of heim homewards; see home]Examples of 'haunt' in a sentence
haunt
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In other languages
haunt
British English: haunt
VERB /hɔːnt/
If something unpleasant haunts you, you keep thinking or worrying about it over a long period of time.
The decision to leave her children now haunts her.
- American English: haunt /ˈhɔnt/
- Brazilian Portuguese: assombrar
- Chinese: 萦绕在心头令人不愉快的事
- European Spanish: obsesionar
- French: hanter
- German: verfolgen
- Italian: ossessionare
- Japanese: 付きまとう
- Korean: 뇌리를 떠나지 않다
- European Portuguese: assombrar
- Latin American Spanish: obsesionar
- Thai: รบกวนจิตใจ
British English: haunt
NOUN /hɔːnt/
A place that is the haunt of a particular person is one which they often visit because they enjoy going there.
The islands are a favorite summer haunt for yachtsmen.
- American English: haunt /ˈhɔnt/
- Brazilian Portuguese: reduto
- Chinese: 萦绕在心头令人不愉快的事
- European Spanish: refugio
- French: repaire
- German: Lieblingsort
- Italian: luogo frequentato regolarmente
- Japanese: 行きつけの場所
- Korean: 자주 다니는 곳
- European Portuguese: reduto
- Latin American Spanish: refugio
- Thai: สถานที่โปรด, สถานที่ซึ่งไปเป็นประจำ
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