hound1

[hound] /haʊnd/
noun
1.
one of any of several breeds of dogs trained to pursue game either by sight or by scent, especially one with a long face and large drooping ears.
2.
Informal. any dog.
3.
a mean, despicable person.
4.
Informal. an addict or devotee:
an autograph hound.
5.
one of the pursuers in the game of hare and hounds.
verb (used with object)
6.
to hunt or track with hounds, or as a hound does; pursue.
7.
to pursue or harass without respite:
Her little brother wouldn't stop hounding her.
8.
to incite (a hound) to pursuit or attack; urge on.
9.
Informal. to incite or urge (a person) to do something (usually followed by on).
Idioms
10.
follow the hounds, Fox Hunting. to participate in a hunt, especially as a member of the field.
11.
ride to hounds, Fox Hunting. to participate in a hunt, whether as a member of the field or of the hunt staff.
Origin
before 900; Middle English h(o)und, Old English hund; cognate with Dutch hond, Old Norse hundr, Danish, Sw hund, German Hund, Gothic hunds; akin to Latin canis, Greek kýōn (genitive kynós), Sanskrit śván (genitive śunas), Old Irish cú (genitive con), Welsh ci (plural cwn), Tocharian A kū, Lithuanian šuõ
Related forms
hounder, noun
houndish, houndy, adjective
houndlike, adjective
unhounded, adjective
Synonyms
6. dog, follow, chase, trail; tail. 7. pester, annoy, persecute, bully.

hound2

[hound] /haʊnd/
noun
1.
Nautical. either of a pair of fore-and-aft members at the lower end of the head of a mast, for supporting the trestletrees, that support an upper mast at its heel.
Compare cheek (def 12).
2.
a horizontal bar or brace, usually one of a pair, for strengthening the running gear of a horse-drawn wagon or the like.
Origin
1175-1225; Middle English hūn < Old Norse hūnn knob at the masthead
Examples from the web for hound
  • He insisted he was perfectly alert and lucid, adding that he was not a publicity hound, either.
  • The latter is the cheaper and speedier of the two, but it requires a bank to forfeit its right to hound the former owner.
  • The aim is to keep your hound's mood meter in the green.
  • But all the regimes restrict the freedom of speech, hound their opponents and fix elections.
  • When you get one, explain slowly and carefully that you are not a gin-sodden road-hound.
  • Governments should hound taxpayers until they are caught and then thrown into jail.
  • Because that overqualified degree-hound with two books on the shelf is going to make the move to a prestigious university nearby.
  • The beggar is the enemy of the hound and the hound of the beggar.
  • The well-bred hound if he does not hunt to-day will to-morrow.
  • Once he had set a large hound at one which he came across while descending an ice-swollen river in early spring.
British Dictionary definitions for hound

hound1

/haʊnd/
noun
1.
  1. any of several breeds of dog used for hunting
  2. (in combination): an otterhound, a deerhound
2.
the hounds, a pack of foxhounds, etc
3.
a dog, esp one regarded as annoying
4.
a despicable person
5.
(in hare and hounds) a runner who pursues a hare
6.
(slang, mainly US & Canadian) an enthusiast: an autograph hound
7.
short for houndfish See also nursehound
8.
ride to hounds, follow the hounds, to take part in a fox hunt with hounds
verb (transitive)
9.
to pursue or chase relentlessly
10.
to urge on
Derived Forms
hounder, noun
Word Origin
Old English hund; related to Old High German hunt, Old Norse hundr, Gothic hunds

hound2

/haʊnd/
noun
1.
either of a pair of horizontal bars that reinforce the running gear of a horse-drawn vehicle
2.
(nautical) either of a pair of fore-and-aft braces that serve as supports for a topmast
Word Origin
C15: of Scandinavian origin; related to Old Norse hūnn knob, cube
Word Origin and History for hound
n.

Old English hund "dog," from Proto-Germanic *hundas (cf. Old Saxon and Old Frisian hund, Old High German hunt, German Hund, Old Norse hundr, Gothic hunds), from PIE *kuntos, dental enlargement of root *kwon- "dog" (see canine). Meaning narrowed 12c. to "dog used for hunting."

v.

"hunt with hounds," 1520s, from hound (v.). Sense of "pursue relentlessly" is first recorded c.1600. Related: Hounded; hounding.

Slang definitions & phrases for hound

hound

verb

To harass, pester, or annoy someone; burn: I hounded him. Oh fuck, what a loser I was (1605+)

Related Terms

boozehound, chow hound, gas hound


Idioms and Phrases with hound

hound

see: run with (the hare, hunt with the hounds)