haunt
English · Thesaurus
AI In plain words
Writing a short explanation…
Written by a house AI from the entry below, in your language. The entry itself is the source.
haunt
- /hɔːnt/ UK
- /hɔnt/ US
- /hɑnt/ cot caught merger
Rhymes with -ɔːnt
Where it comes from
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.
verb haunts · haunting · haunted · hant · ha'nt
- To inhabit or to visit frequently (most often used in reference to ghosts). A couple of ghosts haunt the old, burnt-down house.
-
To make uneasy, restless.
The memory of his past failures haunted him.
Similar: nag
- To stalk; to follow. The policeman haunted him, following him everywhere.
-
To live habitually; to stay, to remain.
Ieſus therfore walked no more openly amõge the iewes : butt went his waye thence vnto a countre ny to a wildernes into a cite called effraym / and there haunted with his diſciples.
Similar: live
- To accustom; habituate; make accustomed to. […]haunte thi silf to pite [or pitee].
- To practise; to devote oneself to. Leave honest pleasure, and haunt no good pastime.
- To persist in staying or visiting. I haue charg’d thee not to haunt about my doores:[…]
Similar: dwell
noun haunts · hant · ha'nt · haint · harnt
-
A place at which one is regularly found; a habitation or hangout.
The shopping mall is a popular haunt of the local teenagers in this town.
Similar: repair
-
A ghost.
Similar: haint
- A lair or feeding place of animals in the wild. The lofty mountains roſe faint to the ſight and loſt their foreheads in the diſtant ſkies: the little hills, cloathed in darker green and ſkirted with embroidered vales, diſcovered the ſecret haunts of kids and bounding roes.
Thesaurus
Closest in meaning: stamping ground, obsess, hangout, ghost, repair, resort, stalk, persecute, frequent, prosecute, follow, pursue, chase, beset, invoice, harass
verb
Similar: dwell
Translations
Every language
verb to inhabit, or visit frequently
| Español | rondar, embrujar, penar |
|---|---|
| 日本語 | 出没する shutsubotsu suru, 取り憑く toritsuku |
| 中文 | 出沒 /出没 chūmò |
| Português | perseguir, assombrar |
| Français | hanter |
| Deutsch | herumspuken in, spuken in, heimsuchen |
| Italiano | infestare |
| Ελληνικά | στοιχειώνω stoicheióno |
| Română | bântui |
| Русский | посеща́ть poseščátʹ, навеща́ть naveščátʹ, появля́ться pojavljátʹsja |
| עברית | רָדַף radáf |
verb to make uneasy
| Español | espantar, desasosegar, inquietar |
|---|---|
| 日本語 | 取り憑く toritsuku |
| Português | assombrar |
| Français | hanter |
| Italiano | tormentare |
| Ελληνικά | στοιχειώνω stoicheióno |
| Русский | пресле́довать preslédovatʹ |
verb to stalk
| Deutsch | verfolgen |
|---|---|
| Ελληνικά | ακολουθώ akolouthó |
| Русский | пресле́довать preslédovatʹ |
noun place at which one is regularly found
| 한국어 | 단골 dan'gol |
|---|---|
| 日本語 | 行きつけ ikitsuke |
| Português | poiso, poiso habitual, pouso, pouso habitual |
| Français | point de rencontre |
| Deutsch | Treffpunkt |
| Italiano | ritrovo |
| Ελληνικά | στέκι stéki, λημέρι liméri, εντευκτήριο entefktírio |
Talk about this word "haunt." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/haunt. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026. haunt. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/haunt "haunt." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/haunt.Cite this
@misc{haunt_2026,
title = {haunt},
howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
year = {2026},
url = {https://micwyn.com/word/haunt},
urldate = {2026-11-06}
}
