What does "hunt down" mean?

Search for someone or something until you find them. For example: They hunted down the criminal.

hunt down

phrasal verb·1 sense·particle down

Meanings

Why “down”? Attention moves down to one exact point. A target is found, fixed, or specified.

“They hunted down the criminal.”

They searched for the criminal until they found him.

“She hunted down the rare book.”

She searched for the rare book until she found it.

Test yourself

“They hunted down the criminal.” What does it mean?

Nearby in the meaning map

Sink In connects verbs by particle pattern, contrast pairs, and shared base verbs.

nail down

Same down pattern: exact point

Specify or fix precisely

pin down

Same down pattern: exact point

Hold someone in place by force; Get someone to commit to a clear answer or decision; Identify or define something exactly

track down

Same down pattern: exact point

Find someone or something after a difficult search

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