Standard Lemma guide

witch-hunt

noun · verb · 5 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.

  • UK: /ˈwɪtʃhʌnt/
  • US: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.

1

noun

Meaning 1

A search for people believed to be using sorcery or harmful magic, typically in order to persecute or punish them.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: historical

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

noun

Meaning 2

An attempt to find and punish or harass a group of people perceived as a threat, usually on ideological or political grounds.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: broadly

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

3

noun

Meaning 3

A public or political campaign or investigation which smears a person or group.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: broadly

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

4

verb

Meaning 4

To perform a witch-hunt.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: informal

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

5

noun

Meaning 5

searching out and harassing dissenters

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: harassment, molestation

Narrower terms: McCarthyism

History

Etymology

From witch + hunt.

Across languages

Translations

63 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Arabic: مُطَارَدَةُ السَّاحِرَاتِ (muṭāradatu s-sāḥirāti) — persecution of persons believed to be using magic
  • Armenian: վհուկների որս (vhukneri ors) — persecution of persons believed to be using magic
  • Belarusian: палява́нне на ве́дзьмаў (paljavánnje na vjédzʹmaw) — persecution of persons believed to be using magic
  • Bulgarian: лов на вещици (lov na veštici) — persecution of persons believed to be using magic
  • Catalan: caça de bruixes — persecution of persons believed to be using magic
  • Chinese Mandarin: 獵巫 /猎巫 (lièwū) — persecution of persons believed to be using magic
  • Chinese Mandarin: 獵女巫 /猎女巫 (liènǚwū) — persecution of persons believed to be using magic
  • Czech: hon na čarodějnice — persecution of persons believed to be using magic
  • Danish: heksejagt — persecution of persons believed to be using magic
  • Dutch: heksenjacht — persecution of persons believed to be using magic
  • Estonian: nõiajaht — persecution of persons believed to be using magic
  • Finnish: noitavaino — persecution of persons believed to be using magic
  • French: chasse aux sorcières — persecution of persons believed to be using magic
  • German: Hexenjagd — persecution of persons believed to be using magic
  • Greek: κυνήγι μαγισσών (kynígi magissón) — persecution of persons believed to be using magic
  • Hungarian: boszorkányüldözés — persecution of persons believed to be using magic
  • Indonesian: perburuan penyihir — persecution of persons believed to be using magic
  • Italian: caccia alle streghe — persecution of persons believed to be using magic
  • Japanese: 魔女狩り (majogari) — persecution of persons believed to be using magic
  • Korean: 마녀사냥 (manyeosanyang) — persecution of persons believed to be using magic
  • Macedonian: лов на вештерки (lov na vešterki) — persecution of persons believed to be using magic
  • Malay: memburu ahli sihir — persecution of persons believed to be using magic
  • Malay: penyihir memburu — persecution of persons believed to be using magic
  • Norwegian: heksejakt — persecution of persons believed to be using magic
  • Polish: polowanie na czarownice — persecution of persons believed to be using magic
  • Portuguese: caça às bruxas — persecution of persons believed to be using magic
  • Romanian: vânătoare de vrăjitoare — persecution of persons believed to be using magic
  • Russian: охо́та на ведьм (oxóta na vedʹm) — persecution of persons believed to be using magic
  • Serbo-Croatian: лов на вештице — persecution of persons believed to be using magic
  • Serbo-Croatian: лов на вјештице — persecution of persons believed to be using magic
  • Serbo-Croatian: lov na veštice — persecution of persons believed to be using magic
  • Serbo-Croatian: lov na vještice — persecution of persons believed to be using magic
  • Spanish: caza de brujas — persecution of persons believed to be using magic
  • Swedish: häxjakt — persecution of persons believed to be using magic
  • Thai: การล่าแม่มด (gaan-lâa-mɛ̂ɛ-mót) — persecution of persons believed to be using magic
  • Turkish: cadı avı — persecution of persons believed to be using magic
  • Ukrainian: полюва́ння на ві́дьом (poljuvánnja na vídʹom) — persecution of persons believed to be using magic
  • Volapük: magivanayag — persecution of persons believed to be using magic
  • Volapük: himagivanayag — persecution of persons believed to be using magic
  • Volapük: jimagivanayag — persecution of persons believed to be using magic
  • Armenian: վհուկների որս (vhukneri ors) — campaign to punish dissident persons
  • Catalan: caça de bruixes — campaign to punish dissident persons
  • Chinese Mandarin: 政治迫害 (zhèngzhì pòhài) — campaign to punish dissident persons
  • Danish: heksejagt — campaign to punish dissident persons
  • Dutch: heksenjacht — campaign to punish dissident persons
  • Finnish: noitavaino — campaign to punish dissident persons
  • French: chasse aux sorcières — campaign to punish dissident persons
  • German: Hexenjagd — campaign to punish dissident persons
  • Greek: κυνήγι μαγισσών (kynígi magissón) — campaign to punish dissident persons
  • Hungarian: boszorkányüldözés — campaign to punish dissident persons
  • Italian: caccia alle streghe — campaign to punish dissident persons
  • Korean: 마녀사냥 (manyeosanyang) — campaign to punish dissident persons
  • Norwegian: heksejakt — campaign to punish dissident persons
  • Polish: polowanie na czarownice — campaign to punish dissident persons
  • Portuguese: caça às bruxas — campaign to punish dissident persons
  • Russian: охо́та на ведьм (oxóta na vedʹm) — campaign to punish dissident persons
  • Serbo-Croatian: лов на вештице — campaign to punish dissident persons
  • Serbo-Croatian: лов на вјештице — campaign to punish dissident persons
  • Serbo-Croatian: lov na veštice — campaign to punish dissident persons
  • Serbo-Croatian: lov na vještice — campaign to punish dissident persons
  • Spanish: caza de brujas — campaign to punish dissident persons
  • Swedish: häxjakt — campaign to punish dissident persons
  • Thai: การล่าแม่มด (gaan-lâa-mɛ̂ɛ-mót) — campaign to punish dissident persons