noun · verb · 14 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot
Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.
Sound
Pronunciation
Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.
Received-Pronunciation:/hɔːnt/
Received-Pronunciation:hônt
Southern-England:Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
US:/hɔnt/
US:hônt
cot-caught-merger:/hɑnt/
cot-caught-merger:hänt
rhymes with -ɔːnt
CMU ARPABET:HH AO1 N T
Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.
1
noun
Meaning 1
A place at which one is regularly found; a habitation or hangout.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Examples
The shopping mall is a popular haunt of the local teenagers in this town.
I went back the town I used to live and visited all my old haunts.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: repair
Antonyms: none provided
2
noun
Meaning 2
A ghost.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: dialectal
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: haint
Antonyms: none provided
3
noun
Meaning 3
A lair or feeding place of animals.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
4
verb
Meaning 4
To inhabit or to visit frequently (most often used in reference to ghosts).
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: transitive
Examples
A couple of ghosts haunt the old, burnt-down house.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
5
verb
Meaning 5
To make uneasy, restless.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: transitive
Examples
The memory of his past failures haunted him.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
6
verb
Meaning 6
To stalk; to follow.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: transitive
Examples
The policeman haunted him, following him everywhere.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
7
verb
Meaning 7
To live habitually; to stay, to remain.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: archaic, intransitive
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
8
verb
Meaning 8
To accustom; habituate; make accustomed to.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
be a regular or frequent visitor to a certain place
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
Examples
She haunts the ballet
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: frequent
Antonyms: none provided
Broader terms: travel to, visit
Narrower terms: hang out
14
verb
Meaning 14
follow stealthily or recur constantly and spontaneously to
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
Examples
her ex-boyfriend stalked her
the ghost of her mother haunted her
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: stalk
Antonyms: none provided
Broader terms: pursue, follow
History
Etymology
From Middle English haunten (“to reside, inhabit, use, employ”), from Old French hanter (“to inhabit, frequent, resort to”), from Old Northern French hanter (“to go back home, frequent”), from Old Norse heimta (“to bring home, fetch”) or/and from Old English hāmettan (“to bring home; house; cohabit with”); both from Proto-Germanic *haimatjaną (“to house, bring home”), from Proto-Germanic *haimaz (“village, home”), from Proto-Indo-European *ḱóymos (“village”). Cognate with Old English hǣman (“to cohabit, lie with, marry”); related to Old English hām (“home, village”), Old French hantin (“a stay, a place frequented by”) from the same Germanic source. Another descendant from the French is Dutch hanteren, whence German hantieren, Swedish hantera, Danish håndtere. More at home.
Across languages
Translations
117 source translations are retained for this English entry.
Bulgarian:
свърталище
(svǎrtalište)
— place at which one is regularly found
Dutch:
trefpunt
— place at which one is regularly found
Finnish:
kantapaikka
— place at which one is regularly found
Finnish:
vakiopaikka
— place at which one is regularly found
French:
point de rencontre
— place at which one is regularly found
German:
Treffpunkt
— place at which one is regularly found
Greek:
στέκι
(stéki)
— place at which one is regularly found
Greek:
λημέρι
(liméri)
— place at which one is regularly found
Greek:
εντευκτήριο
(entefktírio)
— place at which one is regularly found
Italian:
ritrovo
— place at which one is regularly found
Japanese:
行きつけ
(ikitsuke)
— place at which one is regularly found
Korean:
단골
(dan'gol)
— place at which one is regularly found
Latin:
lustrum
— place at which one is regularly found
Macedonian:
свратилиште
(svratilište)
— place at which one is regularly found
Māori:
ripoinga
— place at which one is regularly found
Māori:
kainga waewae
— place at which one is regularly found
Persian:
پاتوق
(pâtoq)
— place at which one is regularly found
Portuguese:
poiso
— place at which one is regularly found
Portuguese:
poiso habitual
— place at which one is regularly found
Portuguese:
pouso
— place at which one is regularly found
Portuguese:
pouso habitual
— place at which one is regularly found
Swedish:
mötesplats
— place at which one is regularly found
Swedish:
träffpunkt
— place at which one is regularly found
Swedish:
tillhåll
— place at which one is regularly found
Swedish:
gömsle
— place at which one is regularly found
Welsh:
bro
— place at which one is regularly found
Finnish:
ruokintapaikka
— feeding place for animals
Bulgarian:
посещавам
(poseštavam)
— to inhabit, or visit frequently
Catalan:
perseguir
— to inhabit, or visit frequently
Catalan:
freqüentar
— to inhabit, or visit frequently
Chinese Mandarin:
出沒 /出没
(chūmò)
— to inhabit, or visit frequently
Czech:
strašit
— to inhabit, or visit frequently
Czech:
obcházet
— to inhabit, or visit frequently
Dutch:
rondspoken
— to inhabit, or visit frequently
Esperanto:
hanti
— to inhabit, or visit frequently
Finnish:
kummitella
— to inhabit, or visit frequently
Finnish:
olla
— to inhabit, or visit frequently
French:
hanter
— to inhabit, or visit frequently
German:
herumspuken in
— to inhabit, or visit frequently
German:
spuken in
— to inhabit, or visit frequently
German:
heimsuchen
— to inhabit, or visit frequently
Greek:
στοιχειώνω
(stoicheióno)
— to inhabit, or visit frequently
Hebrew:
רָדַף
(radáf)
— to inhabit, or visit frequently
Hungarian:
kísért
— to inhabit, or visit frequently
Ingrian:
pelehellä
— to inhabit, or visit frequently
Irish:
gnáthaigh
— to inhabit, or visit frequently
Italian:
infestare
— to inhabit, or visit frequently
Japanese:
出没する
(shutsubotsu suru)
— to inhabit, or visit frequently
Japanese:
取り憑く
(toritsuku)
— to inhabit, or visit frequently
Latin:
assum
— to inhabit, or visit frequently
Latin:
frequentō
— to inhabit, or visit frequently
Latin:
ambitō
— to inhabit, or visit frequently
Māori:
kuku
— to inhabit, or visit frequently
Māori:
poke
— to inhabit, or visit frequently
Polish:
straszyć
— to inhabit, or visit frequently
Polish:
nawiedzać
— to inhabit, or visit frequently
Polish:
nawiedzić
— to inhabit, or visit frequently
Polish:
nawiedzać
— to inhabit, or visit frequently
Polish:
nawiedzić
— to inhabit, or visit frequently
Portuguese:
perseguir
— to inhabit, or visit frequently
Portuguese:
assombrar
— to inhabit, or visit frequently
Romanian:
bântui
— to inhabit, or visit frequently
Russian:
посеща́ть
(poseščátʹ)
— to inhabit, or visit frequently
Russian:
навеща́ть
(naveščátʹ)
— to inhabit, or visit frequently
Russian:
появля́ться
(pojavljátʹsja)
— to inhabit, or visit frequently
Spanish:
rondar
— to inhabit, or visit frequently
Spanish:
embrujar
— to inhabit, or visit frequently
Spanish:
penar
— to inhabit, or visit frequently
Swedish:
hemsöka
— to inhabit, or visit frequently
Ukrainian:
відвідувати
(vidviduvaty)
— to inhabit, or visit frequently
Ukrainian:
навідувати
(naviduvaty)
— to inhabit, or visit frequently
Ukrainian:
вчащати
(včaščaty)
— to inhabit, or visit frequently
Ukrainian:
бувати
(buvaty)
— to inhabit, or visit frequently
Welsh:
mynychu
— to inhabit, or visit frequently
Czech:
pronásledovat
— to make uneasy
Czech:
strašit
— to make uneasy
Czech:
sužovat
— to make uneasy
Czech:
tížit
— to make uneasy
Dutch:
beklemmen
— to make uneasy
Finnish:
vaivata
— to make uneasy
French:
hanter
— to make uneasy
Greek:
στοιχειώνω
(stoicheióno)
— to make uneasy
Hungarian:
kísért
— to make uneasy
Italian:
tormentare
— to make uneasy
Japanese:
取り憑く
(toritsuku)
— to make uneasy
Portuguese:
assombrar
— to make uneasy
Russian:
пресле́довать
(preslédovatʹ)
— to make uneasy
Spanish:
espantar
— to make uneasy
Spanish:
desasosegar
— to make uneasy
Spanish:
inquietar
— to make uneasy
Swedish:
hemsöka
— to make uneasy
Swedish:
anfäkta
— to make uneasy
Ukrainian:
тривожити
(tryvožyty)
— to make uneasy
Ukrainian:
мучити
(mučyty)
— to make uneasy
Bulgarian:
преследвам
(presledvam)
— to stalk
Dutch:
achtervolgen
— to stalk
Finnish:
varjostaa
— to stalk
German:
verfolgen
— to stalk
Greek:
ακολουθώ
(akolouthó)
— to stalk
Hungarian:
követ
— to stalk
Māori:
whakamokamoka
— to stalk
Māori:
whakamomoka
— to stalk
Russian:
пресле́довать
(preslédovatʹ)
— to stalk
Swedish:
förfölja
— to stalk
Ukrainian:
переслі́дувати
(pereslíduvaty)
— to stalk
Bulgarian:
обитавам
(obitavam)
— to live habitually
Dutch:
wonen
— to live habitually
Dutch:
verblijven
— to live habitually
Finnish:
asustella
— to live habitually
Finnish:
majailla
— to live habitually
French:
demeurer
— to live habitually
Greek:
συχνάζω
(sychnázo)
— to live habitually
Hungarian:
lakik
— to live habitually
Russian:
обита́ть
(obitátʹ)
— to live habitually
Swedish:
bo
— to live habitually
Ukrainian:
мешкати
(meškaty)
— to live habitually
Ukrainian:
проживати
(prožyvaty)
— to live habitually
