hunt

hunt someone or something down 

1. to chase and catch someone or something. I don't know where Amy is, but I'll hunt her down. I'll find her. I will hunt down the villain.

2. to locate someone or something. I don't have a big enough gasket. I'll have to hunt one down. I have to hunt down a good dentist.

hunt someone or something out

to find someone or something even if concealed. We will hunt them all out and find every last one of those guys. We will hunt out all of them. They hunted out the murderer.

See also: out

hunt after someone or something

to seek or pursue someone or something. I'm hunting after a tall man with straight black hair. Elaine is hunting after a place to store her bicycle.

See also: after

hunt for someone or something 

1. to chase someone or something for sport. The hunter hunted for grouse on the game preserve. Frank likes to hunt for deer.

2. to look for someone or something. I am hunting for someone to help me with the piano. lam hunting for a new piano.

hunt high and low (for someone or something) and look high and low (for someone or something); search high and low (for someone or something)

Fig. to look carefully in every possible place for someone or something. We looked high and low for the right teacher. The Smiths are searching high and low for the home of their dreams.

See also: and, high, low

hunt through something

to search through the contents of something; to search among things. Joel hunted through his wallet for a dollar bill. I will have to hunt through my drawers for a pair of socks that match.

See also: through

look someone or something up and hunt someone or something up

1. to seek someone, a group, or something out. I lost track of Sally. I'll try to look her up and get in touch with her. lam going to look up an old friend when lam in Chicago. I am going to hunt that old gang up. Ted came into town and looked up his favorite pizza place.

2. to seek information about someone or something in a book or listing. I don't recognize his name. I'll look him up and see what I can find. I'll look up this person in a reference book. She looked herself up in the telephone book to make sure her name was spelled correctly.

See also: look, up

look up

to show promise of improving. My prospects for a job are looking up. Conditions are looking up.

See also: look, up

look up (from something)

to gaze upwards; to stop reading or working and lift one's gaze upward. She looked up from her reading and spoke to us. Mary looked up as we came into the room.

See also: look, up

run with the hare and hunt with the hounds

Fig. to support both sides of a dispute. In our office politics, Sally always tries to run with the hare and hunt with the hounds, telling both the clerical workers and the management that she thinks they should prevail.

See also: and, hare, hound, run

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a witch-hunt

an attempt to find and punish people who have opinions that are believed to be dangerous Senator McCarthy led a witch-hunt against suspected communists during the 1950's.

hunt/search high and low

to search everywhere for something (usually + for ) I've been hunting high and low for the certificate, but I still haven't found it.

See also: and, high, low

run with the hare and hunt with the hounds  (old-fashioned)

to support two competing sides in an argument You've got to decide where you stand on this issue. You can't run with the hare and hunt with the hounds.

See run out the clock, go like clockwork, go deep, cast eye over, be run off feet, drive into the ground, have a good run for money, go to seed

See also: and, hare, hound, run

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look somebody up also look up somebody

to visit someone Look me up the next time you're in Los Angeles. I hope you'll look up my niece while you're in Pittsburgh.

See also: look, up

look something up also look up something

to check a fact or get information about something If you don't know the meaning of the word, look it up in your dictionary. The research involved looking up how my opponent voted.

See also: look, up