hunting
- 01 A2 Elementary
the act of finding and killing wild animals for food or as a hobby.
the pursuit and killing of wild animals for sustenance, commercial profit, or recreation.
Simple“In some cultures, hunting is still a necessary way to provide food for the family.”
In context“The government introduced stricter regulations on deer hunting to ensure the local population remained at a sustainable level throughout the winter.”
- 02 B1 Intermediate
the act of looking for something you need, like a new job or a place to live.
the systematic process of searching for a specific object, person, or opportunity.
Simple“After months of job hunting, she finally received an offer from a great company.”
In context“House hunting in a competitive market requires patience and the ability to make a decision the moment a property becomes available.”
- 03 C1 Advanced
a situation where a machine or system keeps moving back and forth because it cannot find the right balance.
an undesirable oscillation or fluctuation in a control system that fails to reach a steady state.
Simple“The engine was hunting, with the speed going up and down instead of staying steady.”
In context“The technician noticed the thermostat was hunting, causing the heating system to cycle on and off rapidly without reaching the target temperature.”
UsageUncountable when referring to the general phenomenon in engineering.
SynonymsAntonyms
“Interestingly, the study suggests that collecting fuel may have required less planning than activities such as hunting large animals or producing stone tools.”
“Rather than simply hunting wolves or avoiding them, some prehistoric communities may have formed long-term relationships with the animals, managing and caring for them without fully domesticating them.”
From Middle English hunting, from Old English huntung, equivalent to hunt + -ing.
From Middle English huntynge, alteration of earlier Middle English huntinde, huntende, huntand, present participle of hunten (“to hunt”), equivalent to hunt + -ing.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.