hunter

noun

hunt·​er ˈhən-tər How to pronounce hunter (audio)
Synonyms of hunternext
1
a
: a person who hunts game
b
: a dog used or trained for hunting
c
: a horse used or adapted for use in hunting with hounds
especially : a fast strong horse trained for cross-country work and jumping
2
: one that searches for something
3
: a pocket watch with a hinged protective cover

Synonyms of hunter

Relevance
See All Synonyms & Antonyms in Thesaurus

Examples of hunter in a Sentence

hunters must have a license to shoot deer
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Yet Dunlap is also somewhat insulated from that critique due to his years spent as the executive director of the Sportsman’s Alliance of Maine, a pro-2nd Amendment group that supports hunters and fishermen. — David Sivak, The Washington Examiner, 27 Oct. 2026 Upcoming supermoons to look for The hunter’s moon marks 11 out of 13 full moons in 2026. — Dharma Niles, CNN Money, 25 Oct. 2026 Authorities began investigating after human bone fragments were found in a deserted area of Arizona by a hunter in November 1998. — Natasha Holt, FOXNews.com, 25 Oct. 2026 Frozen meals, sauces, international foods and better-for-you categories could attract more attention from dupe hunters. — Ashley Lynch, Sacbee.com, 23 Oct. 2026 See All Example Sentences for hunter

Word History

First Known Use

13th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Time Traveler
The first known use of hunter was in the 13th century

Phrases Containing hunter

Rhymes for hunter

See All Rhymes for hunter

Browse Nearby Words

hunt down
hunter
Hunter
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Hunter.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/hunter. Accessed 27 Oct. 2026.

Copy Citation

Kids Definition

hunter

noun
hunt·​er ˈhənt-ər How to pronounce hunter (audio)
1
: a person who hunts
especially : one who hunts game
2
: a dog or horse used or trained for hunting

Geographical Definition

Hunter

geographical name

Hun·​ter ˈhən-tər How to pronounce Hunter (audio)
river 287 miles (462 kilometers) long in eastern New South Wales, southeastern Australia, flowing east into the Pacific

Biographical Definition

Hunter

biographical name

Hun·​ter ˈhən-tər How to pronounce Hunter (audio)
John 1728–1793 British anatomist and surgeon
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of milieu

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

How to Use 'Who' vs. 'Whom'

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World

Why do we 'bury the lede?'

'Za' and 9 Other Words to Help You Win at SCRABBLE
See More

Popular

See More

How to Use 'Who' vs. 'Whom'

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
different halloween monsters in silhouette
A Monstrous Vocab Quiz Words That Go Bump in the Night
See All