Phrasal verb
hunt up
Definition
phrasal verb. to search for and find something that is difficult to locate.
phrasal verb. to search for and locate something through diligent effort; implies the object is hidden, forgotten, or requires a specific search process.
Examples
“I need to hunt up my old passport before the trip.”
“She managed to hunt up a copy of the rare book in a small shop downtown.”
“The researcher spent weeks in the national archives trying to hunt up the original blueprints for the Victorian bridge.”
Examples
simple
“I need to hunt up my old passport before the trip.”
contextual
“She managed to hunt up a copy of the rare book in a small shop downtown.”
complex
“The researcher spent weeks in the national archives trying to hunt up the original blueprints for the Victorian bridge.”
Usage
the object can be a person, a piece of information, or a physical item.
Teaching tip
contrast with 'look for' (general search) and 'track down' (implies following a trail); 'hunt up' often suggests finding something you already know exists but have lost track of.
Pitfall
I will hunt up it tomorrow.
I will hunt it up tomorrow.
when using a pronoun like 'it', it must go between the verb and the particle.
Phrasal verb
Particles
up
Separability
optional
Pattern
hunt + up + object
Synonyms
Antonyms
Grammar
Scan code
englishreference.com/q/hunt-up