hound
Pluralhounds
Pluralhounds
Formshounds, hounding, hounded
- 1A dog, especially one of the breeds developed for hunting, either by following an animal's scent or by chasing it by sight and speed.
The hound picked up the scent at the edge of the field and set off baying.
The hunters released their hounds at dawn and followed on horseback.
Similardog
Note
Old English already had this word, hund, for any dog, and it comes from the same ancient root as canine, which reached English by a different road. Over time hound narrowed toward the hunting breeds, both scent trackers like the beagle and sight hunters like the greyhound, while dog became the everyday name for the animal; calling a dog a hound now usually says something about the work it was bred for.
Checked 1 Nov 2026 · 7 facts
- Old English hund was a general word for a dog. en.wiktionary.org
- Hound and canine share an ancient linguistic ancestor. en.wiktionary.org
- Canine entered English through Latin, a different route from the inherited Germanic hound. en.wiktionary.org
- Hound underwent semantic narrowing toward dogs bred for hunting. backoffice.biblio.ugent.be
- Beagles are scent hounds bred for hunting. en.wikipedia.org
- Greyhounds were developed to hunt by sight and speed. en.wikipedia.org
- Dog became the general everyday name for the animal. en.wiktionary.org
- 2To harass someone persistently, keeping up the pressure for a long time without letting up.
Paparazzi continue to hound the couple wherever they travel.
Creditors hounded him for months, calling at all hours of the day.
UsageOften passive, with by or out of: hounded by reporters, hounded out of office.
Similarharass, pester, badger, harry, plague
Note
Made from the noun in Middle English, the verb pictures a hunting dog that will not let its quarry rest. It is common in the passive, often followed by a phrase saying where the pressure drives someone: a 2019 book review describes Alan Turing as "hounded to death for his homosexuality." Badger is the milder neighbor; badgering nags, while hounding pursues and keeps on pursuing.
Checked 3 Nov 2026 · 3 facts
- The verb developed from the noun in Middle English. en.wiktionary.org
- A hound is a hunting dog that pursues quarry. en.wikipedia.org
- The quoted wording appears in Marcel Theroux's review. theguardian.com
- 3A person who eagerly seeks a particular thing, such as glory, publicity, or autographs.
The senator has a reputation as a publicity hound who never misses a camera.
Bargain hounds lined up outside the store hours before the sale began.
UsageMostly in compounds, with the thing chased first: publicity hound, glory hound, bargain hound.
Note
The picture is a dog on a scent, so the compounds usually carry some disapproval, as when someone is suspected of taking a case only because he is "a glory hound."
Checked 2 Nov 2026 · 1 fact
- The example of someone suspected of taking a case because he is a “glory hound” is attested. en.wiktionary.org
Less common meanings
- 4A despicable person, one who deserves contempt for the way they behave.
"You treacherous hound," she hissed when she learned he had sold her secrets.
Those hounds in the front office cut our pensions and gave themselves raises.
Similarcur
Note
An insult with a long run, from Shakespeare's Coriolanus ("Boy! false hound!") to Kipling's narrator, who feels he has been "an unutterably mean hound." Like its synonym cur, it borrows its contempt from the dog, and on its own it sounds more theatrical than a plain modern insult.
Checked 2 Nov 2026 · 2 facts
- “Boy! false hound!” occurs in Shakespeare’s Coriolanus, spoken by Coriolanus to Aufidius in Act V, scene VI; punctuation varies between editions. gutenberg.org
- Kipling’s narrator describes himself as having been “an unutterably mean hound”; the narrator is Theobald Jack Pansay in The Phantom ‘Rickshaw. gutenberg.org
- 5A man who constantly seeks out the company of attractive women.
Everyone at the office knew he was a hound, so his flirting surprised nobody.
The hotel bar was crawling with hounds trying to buy drinks for the bridesmaids.
Similarwomanizer, philanderer, wolf, lecher
- 6To urge someone or something on against a target, especially to set dogs on game in a hunt.
We both thought we saw what had the appearance to be a fox, and hounded the dogs at it, but they would not pursue it.
1897, Andrew Lang, The Book of Dreams and Ghosts - 7A side bar used to brace and strengthen parts of a vehicle's running gear.
- 8Projections at the masthead or on the foremast that support the trestletrees and the top resting on them; also, a foretop.
Showing meanings only.
Practice
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Origins
Proto-Indo-European *ḱwṓ ("dog") is the ultimate source, by way of Proto-Germanic *hundaz, Old English hund, and Middle English hound. Canine is a doublet. Back in 14th-century England, the ordinary word for any domestic dog was hound, while dog meant a mastiff-like type. By the 16th century the two had traded places: dog was the general word, and hound was starting to mean only hunting breeds.
Checked 1 Nov 2026 · 6 facts
- Hound ultimately derives from Proto-Indo-European *ḱwṓ through Proto-Germanic *hundaz, Old English hund, and Middle English hound. en.wiktionary.org
- Proto-Indo-European *ḱwṓ means dog. en.wiktionary.org
- Canine and hound are doublets. en.wiktionary.org
- In 14th-century England, hound was the general word for domestic dogs. en.wiktionary.org
- In 14th-century England, dog referred to a mastiff-like type. en.wiktionary.org
- By the 16th century, dog had become the general term and hound had begun narrowing to hunting breeds. en.wiktionary.org
From Middle English hounden, from the noun hound.
Checked 1 Nov 2026 · 2 facts
- The verb hound derives from Middle English hounden. en.wiktionary.org
- Middle English hounden was formed from the noun hound. en.wiktionary.org