: an organized and usually intensive hunt for a person and especially for one charged with a crime

Examples of manhunt in a Sentence

After several days of searching, the sheriff called off the manhunt. The FBI launched a manhunt to find the kidnappers.
Recent Examples on the Web
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The shooting sparked an intense manhunt, with the NYPD releasing surveillance footage of the suspect and asking the public’s help identifying him and tracking him down. — Rocco Parascandola, New York Daily News, 22 Oct. 2026 Police manhunt Dozens of Sacramento police officers, along with other local law enforcement agencies, searched the area for the suspect. — Rosalio Ahumada, Sacbee.com, 20 Oct. 2026 The suspect, identified as Tyler Robinson, was detained following a 33-hour manhunt after his parents recognized him from surveillance footage broadcast in the media and persuaded him to turn himself in. — Mackenzie Chase, The Washington Examiner, 14 Oct. 2026 Mangione confessed to the killing Mangione, 28, was arrested in a McDonald’s in Altoona, Pennsylvania, in December 2024, ending a dayslong manhunt after Thompson was shot and killed in midtown Manhattan. — Kara Scannell, CNN Money, 9 Oct. 2026 See All Example Sentences for manhunt

Word History

First Known Use

1833, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of manhunt was in 1833

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Manhunt.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/manhunt. Accessed 28 Oct. 2026.

Kids Definition

: an organized hunt for a person and especially for one charged with a crime
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