definition haunted verb

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Meaning of haunt in English

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haunt verb [T] ( REPEATEDLY TROUBLE )

• Memories of the semifinal defeat haunted him for the rest of his career .
• His experiences in the prison camp continued to haunt him.
• She was haunted by memories of her unhappy childhood .
• The novel tells the story of a soldier haunted by the events of the war .
• The experience of failure continues to haunt him.
• be laughing on the other side of your face idiom
• heartbreaker
• heartbreakingly
• hit/touch a (raw) nerve idiom
• sensitivity
• shake someone out of something
• shake someone up
• shake/rock something to its foundations idiom
• shatteringly

You can also find related words, phrases, and synonyms in the topics:

haunt verb [T] ( SPIRIT )

• astral plane
• astral projection
• incorporeal
• necromancer
• Ouija board
• reincarnation
• beard the lion (in his/her den) idiom
• call (in) on someone
• happen along/by (somewhere)
• have access to someone/something
• house-to-house
• look around (somewhere/something)
• stop by (somewhere)
• stop off somewhere
• swing by/past (something)

haunt | American Dictionary

Haunt verb [t] ( appear ), haunt verb [t] ( worry ), haunt noun [c] ( place ), examples of haunt, translations of haunt.

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adaptive learning

a method of education or training using computers, that uses algorithms (= sets of mathematical rules) to change teaching material, exercises, etc. according to the needs and performance of each learner

A bump in the road: talking about things that prevent progress

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• haunt (REPEATEDLY TROUBLE)
• haunt (SPIRIT)
• haunt (APPEAR)
• haunt (WORRY)
• haunt (PLACE)
• Translations
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Definition of haunt

 (Entry 1 of 2)

transitive verb

intransitive verb

Definition of haunt  (Entry 2 of 2)

• resort (to)
• stamping ground
• stomping ground

Examples of haunt in a Sentence

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'haunt.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Middle English haunten, hanten "to frequent, frequent the company of, dwell in, engage in, practice (a vice or virtue), perform," borrowed from Anglo-French hanter, haunter (also continental Old French), of uncertain origin

Note: The origin of the French word has been much argued over in the past century and a half. Given the initial h aspiré (meaning the initial h was pronounced into early modern French and still blocks elision of preceding vowels), the word has usually been given a Germanic source. Perhaps most frequently it has been traced to the Old Norse verb reflected in Old Icelandic heimta "to draw, pull, call on, claim, crave, get back, recover," despite semantic and phonetic objections. Also proffered has been a presumed Old Low Franconian *haimiþōn "to shelter, accommodate." Both etyma are derivatives of Germanic *haima- "dwelling" (see home entry 1 ). The possibility of a spoken Latin source has been revived in Dictionnaire étymologique de l'ancien français (on line), which suggests *ambitāre, from Latin ambitus "circuit" (see ambit )—see full discussion and bibliography there.

Middle English haunt, hant "frequent visiting, resort, a place frequented, habitual practice of something, usage," borrowed from Anglo-French hant, haunt, derivative of hanter "to frequent, haunt entry 1 "

14th century, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1a

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing haunt

• come back to haunt

Articles Related to haunt

The History Behind 8 Halloween Words

These words haunt us

Dictionary Entries Near haunt

Cite this entry.

“Haunt.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary , Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/haunt. Accessed 5 Oct. 2023.

Kids Definition

Kids definition of haunt.

Kids Definition of haunt  (Entry 2 of 2)

More from Merriam-Webster on haunt

Nglish: Translation of haunt for Spanish Speakers

Britannica English: Translation of haunt for Arabic Speakers

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to visit habitually or appear to frequently as a spirit or ghost: to haunt a house; to haunt a person.

to recur persistently to the consciousness of; remain with: Memories of love haunted him.

to visit frequently; go to often: He haunted the galleries and bars that the artists went to.

to frequent the company of; be often with: He haunted famous men, hoping to gain celebrity for himself.

to disturb or distress; cause to have anxiety; trouble; worry: His youthful escapades came back to haunt him.

to reappear continually as a spirit or ghost.

to visit habitually or regularly.

to remain persistently; loiter; stay; linger.

Often haunts. a place frequently visited: to return to one's old haunts.

Chiefly Midland and Southern U.S. and North England . a ghost.

Origin of haunt

Other words for haunt, other words from haunt.

• haunter, noun

Words Nearby haunt

• haul over the coals
• haunch bone
• Hauraki Gulf

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use haunt in a sentence

This southern haunt brims with otherworldly landscapes, from sandstone bluffs to flat-topped mesas, spread out across its 8,701 acres.

So, for now, we might just learn to grieve that place, that memory, and learn to avoid our old haunts during high season and holidays.

Only through such action can the US avoid situations where inferences drawn from the data companies collect haunt people’s ability to access housing, jobs, credit, and other opportunities for years to come.

Madripoor also happens to be a favorite haunt of Wolverine, and several fans speculated we might get a look at Logan in the series.

From there you can tailor your home page by pinning favorite parks to the top, checking off previously visited old haunts, or creating a new list of sites and activities for an upcoming road trip.

Christie has problems, and they begin with the fact that photos and videos and memes can haunt us.

She had seen public executions before, but this one would haunt her for years to come.

But it was a grueling road to freedom, and one that continues to haunt them.

Doubt and panic and regret haunt the heart of any decent physician who ever has made a decision.

This undeclared war on the Latino immigrant family was bound to haunt Obama.

It was when the face and figure of a great tragedian began to haunt her imagination and stir her senses.

Because Hartledon once had a flirtation with your daughter, does that give you leave to haunt him as if you were his double?

As he invariably left a note behind him promising to "be quiet about it," Isabel ceased to haunt his footsteps.

I really begin to fear that these drinking, if not drunken spirits, do haunt the "spirit-vaults."

Even the better sort of men who haunt our public-houses are glad to meet and talk with the poachers.

British Dictionary definitions for haunt

/ ( hɔːnt ) /

to visit (a person or place) in the form of a ghost

(tr) to intrude upon or recur to (the memory, thoughts, etc) : he was haunted by the fear of insanity

to visit (a place) frequently

to associate with (someone) frequently

(often plural) a place visited frequently : an old haunt of hers

a place to which animals habitually resort for food, drink, shelter, etc

Derived forms of haunt

• haunter , noun

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Definition of 'haunt'

Video: pronunciation of haunt

haunt in British English

Haunt in american english, examples of 'haunt' in a sentence haunt, cobuild collocations haunt, trends of haunt.

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In other languages haunt

• 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
• Brazilian Portuguese : reduto
• 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

Browse alphabetically haunt

• haunch bone
• haunt a house
• haunt the present
• All ENGLISH words that begin with 'H'

Related terms of haunt

• popular haunt
• regular haunt
• childhood haunt
• favourite haunt
• View more related words

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Definition of haunt verb from the Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary

• A headless rider haunts the country lanes.
• I’ll come back to haunt you!
• come back to

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