Phrase guide

snipe hunt

noun · verb · 3 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, US: /ˈsnaɪpˌhʌnt/
  • US: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • Australia: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.

1

noun

Meaning 1

A prank in which a gullible victim is sent off on a fruitless search for a nonexistent item.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: idiomatic

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: snark hunt, fool's errand, wild goose chase

Antonyms: none provided

2

verb

Meaning 2

To participate, as the gullible victim, in a snipe hunt.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: intransitive

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

3

noun

Meaning 3

an elaborate practical joke in which the unsuspecting victim hunts a snipe and is typically left in the dark holding a bag and waiting for the snipe to run into it

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • in the South a snipe hunt is practically a rite of passage

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: practical joke

History

Etymology

* snipe + hunt * Although snipe are an actual family of birds, a snipe hunt was originally a quest for an imaginary creature whose description varies.

Across languages

Translations

9 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Estonian: hanekstõmbamine — prank
  • Finnish: hukkareissu — prank
  • French: chasse au dahu — prank
  • Hebrew: מרדף סרק — prank
  • Hebrew: מרדף שווא — prank
  • Hebrew: שליחות סרק — prank
  • Hebrew: שליחות שווא — prank
  • Hebrew: רדיפה אחרי הרוח — prank
  • Portuguese: caça aos gambozinos — prank