HOUND Synonyms: 337 Similar and Opposite Words

Q: How is the word 'hound' distinct from other similar verbs?

Some common synonyms of hound are badger , bait , chivy , heckle , and hector . While all these words mean "to harass by efforts to break down," hound implies unrelenting pursuit and harassing. // hounded by creditors

Q: When could 'badger' be used to replace 'hound'?

The words badger and hound can be used in similar contexts, but badger implies pestering so as to drive a person to confusion or frenzy. // badgered her father for a car

Q: Where would 'bait' be a reasonable alternative to 'hound'?

While the synonyms bait and hound are close in meaning, bait implies wanton cruelty or delight in persecuting a helpless victim. // baited the chained dog

Q: When is it sensible to use 'chivy' instead of 'hound'?

Although the words chivy and hound have much in common, chivy suggests persecution by teasing or nagging. // chivied the new student mercilessly

Q: In what contexts can 'heckle' take the place of 'hound'?

The words heckle and hound are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, heckle implies persistent annoying or belligerent interruptions of a speaker. // drunks heckled the stand-up comic

Q: When can 'hector' be used instead of 'hound'?

While in some cases nearly identical to hound , hector carries an implication of bullying and domineering. // football players hectored by their coach

hound 1 of 2

noun

ˈhau̇nd

Definition of hound

as in dog

a domestic mammal that is related to the wolves and foxes in the yard an old hound greeted us with a single bark

Synonyms & Similar Words

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as in lover

a person with a strong and habitual liking for something a camera hound even before the baby arrived, he's now become obsessive

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in villain

a mean, evil, or unprincipled person a no-good sneaky hound who disappeared with the lottery winnings he was supposed to share

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in bastard

a person whose behavior is offensive to others nobody could stand that low-down hound and his penchant for mean-spirited pranks

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

hound

2 of 2

verb

as in to chase

to go after or on the track of after the scandal came to light, the politician was hounded by reporters night and day

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in to dog

to subject (someone) to constant scoldings and sharp reminders kept hounding his mother to let him drive her car until she gave in

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Synonym Chooser

How is the word hound distinct from other similar verbs?

Some common synonyms of hound are badger, bait, chivy, heckle, and hector. While all these words mean "to harass by efforts to break down," hound implies unrelenting pursuit and harassing.

hounded by creditors

When could badger be used to replace hound?

The words badger and hound can be used in similar contexts, but badger implies pestering so as to drive a person to confusion or frenzy.

badgered her father for a car

Where would bait be a reasonable alternative to hound?

While the synonyms bait and hound are close in meaning, bait implies wanton cruelty or delight in persecuting a helpless victim.

baited the chained dog

When is it sensible to use chivy instead of hound?

Although the words chivy and hound have much in common, chivy suggests persecution by teasing or nagging.

chivied the new student mercilessly

In what contexts can heckle take the place of hound?

The words heckle and hound are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, heckle implies persistent annoying or belligerent interruptions of a speaker.

drunks heckled the stand-up comic

When can hector be used instead of hound?

While in some cases nearly identical to hound, hector carries an implication of bullying and domineering.

football players hectored by their coach

Example Sentences

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.

Recent Examples of hound

Noun

We were greeted at the gate by three galloping horses and over a dozen hounds, who gracefully led us to the castle, where we were met by the delightful staff. — Catherine Garcia, TheWeek, 29 Sep. 2026 But Holmes was later resurrected—his creator needed some fast cash, yes, but Britain wanted for good crime-solvers, to go by the glut of corpses and killers in Sleuth-hound. — Dan Piepenbring, Harpers Magazine, 22 Sep. 2026

Verb

The reporting has been gratuitous and inhumane, no one deserves this hounding. — Nancy Doyle, Forbes.com, 7 Aug. 2026 These not-so-genial genitors are hounding hiring managers, shadowing their kid’s Zoom calls off-camera, and even applying for jobs on their behalf, per the paper’s reporting, leaving their employers flabbergasted. — Frank Landymore, Futurism, 6 Aug. 2026 See All Example Sentences for hound

Recent Examples of Synonyms for hound

Noun

Lamm told TechCrunch that conventional breeding can produce dogs with poor eyesight or genetic predispositions to cancer.

— Aamir Khollam, Interesting Engineering, 23 Oct. 2026
Cadaver dogs also alerted to the scent of a corpse in the vehicle.

— Frannie Comstock, Encyclopedia Britannica, 23 Oct. 2026

Definition of dog

Noun

Overton, however, claimed that both informants were lying — and that the semen found on the comforter was planted on the scene by a spurned ex-lover with connections to the police department.

— Grethel Aguila, Miami Herald, 22 Oct. 2026
The professionalization worked, but at the expense of the site’s internal culture, Cooke argues, as generous eccentrics were displaced by neurotic lovers of rules.

— Julian Lucas, New Yorker, 21 Oct. 2026

Definition of lover

Noun

Still, this villain’s origin story works better as a showcase for effects than anything tragic.

— Amy Nicholson, Los Angeles Times, 23 Oct. 2026
Directed by Grammy Award-winning filmmaker James Mackel, the visual is three-and-a-half minutes of spy stuff, our hero, dressed to impress, making short work of the many villains who lurk in her hotel.

— Lars Brandle, Billboard, 23 Oct. 2026

Definition of villain

Verb

Rather than chasing fancy titles or splashy paychecks throughout her career, she’s gravitated toward jobs that pushed her out of her comfort zone, forced her to take risks, and taught her to embrace a little chaos.

— Preston Fore, Fortune, 24 Oct. 2026
At Fox, the viewer is the star, or at least the north star, the thing that everyone is chasing.

— Alex Weprin, HollywoodReporter, 23 Oct. 2026

Definition of chase

Verb

Two strategists close to Acton’s campaign, granted anonymity to discuss its internalassessment, urged caution about the more optimistic assessment of where the contest now stands.

— Teo Armus, Washington Post, 23 Oct. 2026
Trump has also told Kyiv to stop attacking Russian refineries and urged Ukrainians to replace Zelenskyy.

— Reuters, NBC news, 23 Oct. 2026

Definition of urge

Noun

The theory seems to be that there will always be another crop of suckers willing to pump money into the ecosystem, so the market will provide.

— Joseph Kahn, HollywoodReporter, 8 Oct. 2026
These sucker shoots can quickly form a thicket of stems that are unsightly, inherently weak, and prone to storm damage if allowed to mature.

— Luke Miller, Better Homes & Gardens, 16 Sep. 2026

Definition of sucker

Noun

Most sportsmen wonder how any whitetail bucks, let alone a brute such as Kontras’, could have been so easily patterned.

— Jeff Murray, Outdoor Life, 20 Aug. 2026
The show’s depiction of Hugh as a family man has been much more sympathetic than the book’s description of him as a power-hungry brute.

— James Grebey, Vulture, 10 Aug. 2026

Definition of brute

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hot waters

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Style

“Hound.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/hound. Accessed 28 Oct. 2026.

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Synonyms of hound

noun

verb

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