hunter
hunter — noun
1. A human or non-human creature that pursues and captures wild game for eating, fo
A human or non-human creature that pursues and captures wild game for eating, for materials such as fur, or as a recreational activity.
Walid's grandfather was a hunter who taught his sons how to track deer in the forest.
The tiger is a solitary hunter and can silently stalk its prey through dense grass before pouncing.
animal subject: a solitary / skilled / patient hunter
Nepali hunter Vivek guided trekkers through the forest and sold deer meat in the market.
Lakshmi met an old hunter at the market who showed her how to make traps from tree branches.
- prey
the animal that is hunted rather than the one doing the hunting
文法句型
a hunter of + animal
hunter + verb of pursuit
用法筆記
Can refer to either a human or a non-human animal. When describing a person, the context usually makes it clear whether the hunting is for subsistence, trade, or sport. Compare with sense 5, which is used only in compound nouns.
常見錯誤
2. A strong, fast horse bred or trained to carry a rider while following a pack of
A strong, fast horse bred or trained to carry a rider while following a pack of dogs during a traditional hunt on horseback.
Élise rode a tall grey hunter that jumped over fences and galloped across open fields without tiring.
hunter as a horse breed — rider + jump / gallop collocations
The stable kept four hunters ready for the autumn fox hunts that the local club organised each year.
Mr. Chen's grey hunter Storm jumped every fence without hesitation and never shied from the hounds.
Léa chose a bay-coloured hunter for the ride because the horse was sure-footed on muddy ground.
文法句型
a hunter + verb of movement
breed / ride / own a hunter
用法筆記
Almost exclusively used in British English equestrian contexts. In American English, 'hunter' in this sense is rare; readers may interpret it as a hunting dog instead. Frequently modified by an adjective describing colour or build (e.g., 'a grey hunter').
3. A dog bred or trained to find, chase, or retrieve game animals and birds during
A dog bred or trained to find, chase, or retrieve game animals and birds during a hunt, often by using its sense of smell.
Min's brown spaniel was an excellent hunter that could sniff out pheasants hiding in the thick bushes.
hunter = dog — verb collocations: sniff out + prey
The hunters brought three trained hunters along, each one skilled at flushing rabbits from underground burrows.
A well-trained hunter will freeze in place when it locates a bird and wait for its owner to approach.
Lakan trained his young hunter to retrieve ducks from the lake without damaging the birds.
文法句型
a hunter + verb of scent/tracking
train / own / keep a hunter
用法筆記
This sense competes with more specific dog breed names (pointer, setter, retriever, spaniel). 'Hunter' as a dog is a general term; when the breed is known, the breed name is preferred. The hunting-dog sense is distinguished from the horse sense (sense 2) by context — look for verbs like 'sniff', 'track', or 'flush'.
4. A person who makes a determined search for something valuable, useful, or intere
A person who makes a determined search for something valuable, useful, or interesting — for example, cheap vintage clothes at charity shops, a suitable new home, or talented employees for a company.
Soraya is a keen bargain hunter who visits charity shops every weekend looking for vintage clothes.
bargain hunter — collocation for someone seeking low prices
Gabriela works as a talent hunter for a software company, finding skilled engineers from universities around the world.
The house hunters spent three months visiting properties before they found a flat with a garden for their children.
Online bargain hunters use price-comparison websites to find the cheapest deals on computers and home appliances.
文法句型
noun + hunter
hunter + of + noun
用法筆記
Often appears as the second element in open or hyphenated compound nouns such as 'bargain hunter', 'house hunter', or 'talent hunter'. The modifier states what the person is looking for. This sense overlaps with sense 6 in meaning, but sense 4 is the standalone word while sense 6 is specifically a suffix pattern.
常見錯誤
5. A person who pursues a particular kind of wild animal for food, sport, or materi
A person who pursues a particular kind of wild animal for food, sport, or materials — the animal's name goes before 'hunter' to form a compound such as 'deer hunter' or 'fox hunter'.
Gabriel is a deer hunter who travels to the mountains each autumn before the first snow arrives.
[animal] + hunter — deer hunter, fox hunter, whale hunter
The local fox hunters met at sunrise with their horses and dogs ready for the day's ride across the countryside.
At dawn, duck hunters set floating decoys and waited in the reeds for birds to arrive.
Soraya read an article about rabbit hunters in Australia who help control the population of wild rabbits on farms.
文法句型
[animal] + hunter
用法筆記
This suffix pattern overlaps with sense 1 in meaning, but the compound form ([animal] + hunter) is so common in English that it functions as a distinct productive pattern. Learners should know that almost any game animal can fill the first slot: deer hunter, fox hunter, rabbit hunter, duck hunter, whale hunter.
常見錯誤
6. A person who is trying to find or obtain a particular thing or opportunity — the
A person who is trying to find or obtain a particular thing or opportunity — the target is named in a compound word placed before 'hunter', such as 'job hunter' (someone looking for work) or 'souvenir hunter' (someone searching for interesting objects).
Job hunters in the city often spend months sending out applications before they receive a single interview invitation.
[target] + hunter — job hunter, bargain hunter, souvenir hunter
Christopher is an apartment hunter who visited fourteen different flats before choosing one near the train station.
Souvenir hunters at the flea market carried bags full of old coins, postcards, and vintage toys they had found.
Eleni became a fossil hunter after discovering an ancient seashell embedded in a rock near her village.
文法句型
[target] + hunter
用法筆記
This pattern is highly productive in modern English — new compounds appear regularly (e.g., 'deal hunter', 'price hunter', 'pokémon hunter'). The modifier is usually a noun or noun phrase describing the target. Unlike sense 4, which covers the standalone use of 'hunter' as a seeker, this sense focuses specifically on the compounding pattern.