hunter

¹ American  

[huhn-ter] / ˈhʌn tər /

noun

1. a person who hunts game or other wild animals for food or in sport.

2. a person who searches for or seeks something.

   a fortune hunter.

3. a horse specially trained for quietness, stamina, and jumping ability in hunting.

4. an animal, as a dog, trained to hunt game.

5. Astronomy. Hunter, the constellation Orion.

6. Also called hunting watch.  a watch with a hunting case.

7. hunter green.

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Hunter ² American  

[huhn-ter] / ˈhʌn tər /

noun

1. John, 1728–93, Scottish surgeon, physiologist, and biologist.

2. Robert Mercer Taliaferro 1809–87, U.S. political leader: Speaker of the House 1839–41.

3. a male given name.

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hunter ¹ British  

/ ˈhʌntə /

noun

1. Female equivalent: huntress.  a person or animal that seeks out and kills or captures game

2. 1. a person who looks diligently for something

   2. ( in combination )

      a fortune-hunter

3. a specially bred horse used in hunting, usually characterized by strength and stamina

4. a specially bred dog used to hunt game

5. Also called: hunting watch.  a watch with a hinged metal lid or case ( hunting case ) to protect the crystal See also half-hunter

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Hunter ² British  

/ ˈhʌntə /

noun

1. John. 1728–93, British physician, noted for his investigation of venereal and other diseases

2. his brother, William. 1718–83, British anatomist and obstetrician

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Other Word Forms

• hunterlike adjective

Etymology

Origin of hunter

First recorded in 1200–50; Middle English huntere; hunt, -er ¹

Example Sentences

Netflix’s fan site, Tudum, described the Tennessee-based Preece as a longtime hunter and fisherman who said he “passes on his love for the outdoors by teaching skills to youth and novice hunters each season.”

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 9, 2026

For more than two centuries, the Jurassic Coast has yielded thousands of ichthyosaur fossils, ever since pioneering fossil hunter Mary Anning began making historic finds there.

From Science Daily • Feb. 24, 2026

A keen hunter, Gussalli Beretta sometimes struggles to hear, after what he says is damage from exposure to loud weapons.

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 16, 2026

Standing in his boat with binoculars in hand, hunter Malik Kleist scans the horizon for seals.

From Barron's • Feb. 10, 2026

“The bounty hunter for the San Francisco Police Department?”

From "Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?" by Philip K. Dick