View synonyms for

witch hunt

Or witch-hunt

[wich-huhnt]

Phonetic (Standard)IPA

noun

(in historical use) the investigation, trial, and punishment of alleged practitioners of witchcraft.
an intensive inquiry, originally or purportedly to discover and expose dishonesty, subversion, or other wrongdoing, the scope and conclusions of which often include and bring harm to innocent persons or their reputations through reliance on hearsay or circumstantial evidence.

verb (used with object)

to subject to a witch hunt.
The defendant claimed he was being witch-hunted due to his political activism.

witch-hunt

noun

a rigorous campaign to round up or expose dissenters on the pretext of safeguarding the welfare of the public

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Other Word Forms

witch hunter noun
witch-hunting adjective
ˈ�ɾ��ٳ��-ˌ��ܲԳپ��Բ� noun
ˈ�ɾ��ٳ��-ˌ��ܲԳٱ�� noun

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Word History and Origins

Origin of witch hunt¹

First recorded in 1885–90 witch hunt for def. 1; in 1935–40 witch hunt for def. 2; and in 1945–50 witch hunt for def. 3; the gerund witch-hunting was first recorded in 1635–40

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Example Sentences

Examples have not been reviewed.

“Let me tell you: Putin went through a hell of a lot with me. He went through a phony witch hunt where they used him and ‘Russia.

From

Kristina Dixon, formerly the agency’s chief financial officer, characterized her termination last year as part of a “witch hunt.”

From

A BBC interview with Woody Allen, in which he called the #MeToo movement a witch hunt, was a eureka moment for Belflower.

From

But in the #MeToo movement, it was a hot witch hunt,” Rogan said.

From

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has denounced an investigation into possible links between his aides and Qatar as a "witch hunt", after he gave testimony to police.

From

witch hobble witching

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