# haunt

Pronunciation: say "HAWNT" US /hɔnt/, UK /hɔːnt/

## Verb

1. To inhabit or repeatedly visit a place, most often said of a ghost or spirit.
   - Simple: Of a ghost, to stay in a place or keep coming back there.
   - _Locals believe a restless spirit haunts the manor's east wing._
   - _Ghosts are said to haunt the battlefield where so many fell._
2. To trouble or disturb someone persistently, as a distressing memory or guilt does.
   - Simple: To keep troubling or upsetting someone in their mind.
   - _Memories of the war haunt the old soldier to this day._
   - _Guilt over the decision haunted her for years afterward._
4. To follow or stalk someone persistently, staying close behind.
   - Simple: To keep following someone closely wherever they go.
   - _A pair of detectives haunted the suspect through the crowded market._
   - _Paparazzi haunt celebrities from morning until night._
6. To keep staying in or returning to a place persistently.
   - Simple: To keep staying somewhere or coming back over and over.
   - _Long after closing, a few regulars still haunt about the bar._
   - _She haunts near the harbor where she grew up._
8. To make a person or animal accustomed to something; to habituate. *(dialectal, Northern England, Scotland, UK)*
   - Simple: To make someone or something used to a thing.
   - _She haunted the puppy to the leash over several weeks._
   - _Shepherds haunt their dogs to the sound of the whistle._
9. To practice an activity regularly and devote oneself to it. *(dialectal, Northern England, Scotland, UK)*
   - Simple: To do an activity often and give yourself to it.
   - _She haunted her music daily until her fingers ached._
   - _Village smiths haunt their trade from boyhood._

## Noun

3. A place where someone is regularly found; a favorite spot or hangout.
   - Simple: A place that someone visits often or likes to spend time in.
   - _The riverside pub remained her favorite haunt for decades._
   - _He returned to the familiar haunts of his youth._
5. A lair or feeding ground where animals are regularly found.
   - Simple: A place where wild animals live or come to eat.
   - _The marsh is a well-known haunt of wading birds._
   - _Foxes returned to their old haunts at dusk._
7. The spirit of a dead person; a ghost. *(dialectal)*
   - Simple: A ghost or spirit of a dead person.
   - _Villagers claimed a haunt drifted through the churchyard at midnight._
   - _She feared the haunts that were said to roam the marsh._

## Verb

10. To dwell or stay habitually in a place; to remain there. *(archaic)*
   - Simple: To live in a place or stay there as your home.
   - _Merchants haunted near the harbor, where trade was richest._
   - _Wild geese haunt along the fens through the colder months._

## Origin

From Middle English haunten ("to reside, inhabit, use"), from Old French hanter ("to inhabit, frequent, resort to"). This traces back to Old Norse heimta ("to bring home, fetch") and/or Old English hāmettan ("to bring home; house"), both from Proto-Germanic *haimaz ("village, home") and ultimately from a Proto-Indo-European root meaning "village".

Source: DictionaryAI, https://dictionaryai.com/define/haunt (written from Wiktionary data, CC BY-SA 4.0: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/).