Word
haunt
US/ˈhɔnt/
UK/hˈɔːnt/
Definitions
01ghosts visiting a place
B1 · Intermediate
v. to visit or live in a place as a ghost.
v. to manifest as a ghost or spirit in a specific location. Transitive, taking the location as a direct object.
“Locals say that the ghost of a grey lady haunts the old castle library.”
“Legend has it that the spirit of the former lighthouse keeper continues to haunt the cliffs, appearing only during the most violent winter storms.”
02memories or feelings
B2 · Upper Intermediate
v. to stay in your mind for a long time in an unpleasant way.
v. to recur persistently in the mind of a person, typically causing distress or anxiety.
“The memory of the car accident continued to haunt him for many years.”
“The missed opportunity to reconcile with his father would haunt him for the rest of his professional life, influencing every decision he made.”
03a regular place
C1 · Advanced Countable noun Literary
n. a place that you visit often because you like it.
n. a place frequented by a specified person or group of people.
日本語:巣※
“The quiet café in the corner of the park was her favourite haunt.”
“The old tavern had once been a popular haunt for local poets and revolutionary thinkers before it was converted into a modern boutique.”
04a ghost
C2 · Proficiency Countable noun Dialect
n. another word for a ghost or a spirit.
n. a ghost or supernatural apparition. This usage is restricted to specific regional varieties.
“The children were afraid to go into the woods, fearing they might see a haunt.”
“In the folklore of the region, a haunt is said to guard the entrance to the hidden valley, deterring any unwanted travellers.”
Collocations
Common phrases and expressions where native English speakers use the word “haunt” in context.
Verb
01. come back to haunt
“His decision to quit the team without notice might come back to haunt him later in his career.”
verb + infinitive
02. continue to haunt
“The traumatic events of the war continue to haunt the survivors decades later.”
verb + infinitive
Noun
03. favorite haunt
“The old bookstore on the corner was a favorite haunt for local writers and poets.”
adj + noun
04. regular haunt
“During his university years, this jazz club was his regular haunt every Friday night.”
adj + noun
Adverb
05. forever haunt
“The image of the disaster will forever haunt the minds of those who witnessed it.”
adv + verb
06. literally haunt
“Locals believe that the spirit of the Grey Lady literally haunts the castle's north tower.”
adv + verb
Real-World Examples
“I love a pub.” It’s since become their favourite haunt; some of Hazel Eyes was written on the counter.” “The brutality of the case rocked Mexico and continues to haunt the country more than a decade on.” “When Dani “Football is life!” Rojas gets injured, his teammates blame the incident on a curse said to haunt the treatment room.” Etymology
From Middle English haunten (“to reside, inhabit, use, employ”), from Old French hanter (“to inhabit, frequent, resort to”), from Old Northern French hanter (“to go back home, frequent”), from Old Norse heimta (“to bring home, fetch”) or/and from Old English hāmettan (“to bring home; house; cohabit with”); both from Proto-Germanic haimatjaną (“to house, bring home”), from Proto-Germanic haimaz (“village, home”), from Proto-Indo-European *ḱóymos (“village”). Cognate with Old English hǣman (“to cohabit, lie with, marry”); related to Old English hām (“home, village”), Old French hantin (“a stay, a place frequented by”) from the same Germanic source. Another descendant from the French is Dutch hanteren, whence German hantieren, Swedish hantera, Danish håndtere. More at home.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Exam level
- CambridgeCambridgeCambridge English QualificationsThe exam suite from Cambridge University Press & Assessment, from A1 Movers up to C2 Proficiency. The benchmark names double as CEFR labels.C1 AdvancedIELTSIELTSInternational English Language Testing SystemThe 0–9 band test co-owned by the British Council, IDP, and Cambridge. Used for university entry, work, and migration.7.0–8.0TOEFL iBTTOEFL iBTTest of English as a Foreign Language, Internet-Based TestETS's academic English test, the standard route for US university admissions. Scored 0–120, with a 1–6 scale since 2026.1–6 scale: 5.0–5.595–113TOEICTOEICTest of English for International CommunicationETS's workplace English test, big in Japan and Korea. Listening & Reading scores 10–990 and tops out at C1.945–990
- Frequency
- Frequent
- Level
- C1 · AdvancedOxford
- Updated
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QR code
englishreference.com/q/haunt
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「日本語」 data: JMdict (EDRDG), CC BY-SA 4.0