hound
hound
Pronunciation
The IPA phonetic spelling for hound is /haʊnd/.
hound (/haʊnd/): The word is a single syllable.
/h/: The initial voiceless sound made by pushing air from the throat, as in "hat."
/aʊ/: A diphthong or gliding vowel, starting with a sound like the 'a' in "father" and moving to the 'oo' in "boot." It's the same sound as in "house" or "cow." 🐄
/n/: The sound made by touching the tip of your tongue to the ridge behind your upper teeth and vibrating your vocal cords, as in "nose."
/d/: The final sound, made by briefly stopping airflow with the tongue against the ridge behind the upper teeth and then releasing it, as in "dog."
Word Form Variations
Noun (Singular): hound
Noun (Plural): hounds
Verb (Base Form): hound
Verb (Third-Person Singular): hounds
Verb (Past Tense): hounded
Verb (Present Participle): hounding
Definitions, Synonyms and Antonyms
Noun
A type of dog, especially one bred for its superior sense of smell and stamina for hunting and tracking. 🐾
Synonyms: canine, hunting dog, scenthound
Antonyms: prey, quarry
(Figurative) An enthusiast who avidly pursues or collects something.
Synonyms: aficionado, fanatic, fiend, enthusiast, buff
Antonyms: detractor, critic
Verb
To pursue, harass, or bother someone persistently and relentlessly.
Synonyms: pester, badger, harass, pursue, nag
Antonyms: leave alone, ignore, comfort, aid, protect
Examples of Use
As a Noun
Referring to a type of dog:
In literature, the most famous example is the title of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's Sherlock Holmes mystery, The Hound of the Baskervilles, which features a terrifying, spectral dog.
In film, the classic 1981 Disney movie The Fox and the Hound explores the friendship between a young fox and a hound dog named Copper.
In news coverage of dog competitions, a reporter might write: "The beagle, a cheerful and curious hound, took home the prize for its category at the Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show." (Associated Press, February 2024).
Referring to an enthusiast (figuratively):
In journalism, a relentlessly persistent reporter is often called a "news hound."
An online entertainment magazine might describe a celebrity as a "publicity hound," meaning they actively seek media attention. (Variety, July 2025).
As a Verb
To pursue or harass relentlessly:
In media reports about public figures, it's common to read sentences like: "The late princess was constantly hounded by the paparazzi, who followed her every move." (The Guardian, August 2025).
In political commentary, one might say: "The senator was hounded by questions from reporters about his involvement in the scandal."
In general discourse, someone might complain about a persistent salesperson: "I was hounded for weeks by a telemarketer trying to sell me a new phone plan."
10 Famous Quotes Using Hound
"You ain't nothin' but a hound dog, cryin' all the time." (Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller, "Hound Dog")
"Mr. Holmes, they were the footprints of a gigantic hound!" (Arthur Conan Doyle, The Hound of the Baskervilles)
"My hounds are bred out of the Spartan kind, so flew'd, so sanded, and their heads are hung with ears that sweep away the morning dew." (William Shakespeare, A Midsummer Night's Dream)
"Release the hounds." (Charles Montgomery Burns, The Simpsons)
"The Mechanical Hound slept but did not sleep, lived but did not live in its gently humming, gently vibrating, softly illuminated kennel." (Ray Bradbury, Fahrenheit 451)
"But with unhurrying chase, and unperturbèd pace, deliberate speed, majestic instancy, came on the following feet, and a Voice above their beat—'Naught shelters thee, who wilt not shelter Me.' I knew His untiring pursuit, the Hound of Heaven." (Paraphrased from Francis Thompson, The Hound of Heaven)
"I feel like I'm being hounded by a pack of stray dogs." (Robert Pattinson)
"The hell-hounds of fate will not be check'd." (Aeschylus, The Libation Bearers)
"With a stout heart, a trusty blade, and a good hound, a man may conquer the world." (Scottish Proverb)
"Sleep will not be thine—but to die will be thine—and to be with me, the Evil One. I will hound thee to thy death." (James Hogg, The Private Memoirs and Confessions of a Justified Sinner)
Etymology
The word hound is incredibly old and, believe it or not, it was originally the general English word for any dog. 🐕
The word traces its roots back through Old English to a common Germanic ancestor.
In Old English (spoken over a thousand years ago), the word was hund. At that time, hund meant any and every kind of dog. The word we use today, "dog," came from the Old English word docga, which referred to a specific, powerful breed, not dogs in general. Over time, a fascinating switch happened: docga became the general term ("dog"), while hund became specialized to mean only a dog used for hunting ("hound").
Before that, hund came from the Proto-Germanic word hundaz. This is the ancient ancestor of the word "dog" in many modern languages, which is why you see close relatives like Hund in German and hond in Dutch.
Going back even further, the ultimate source is the Proto-Indo-European root kwon-, which is the prehistoric granddaddy of "dog" words across a vast family of languages. This ancient root is also the source of the English words canine (which came to us through Latin) and cynic (from the Greek word for "dog-like," kynikos).
So, the first known meaning of hound was simply "dog." Its meaning narrowed over centuries to describe the specific type of hunting dog we think of today.
Phrases + Idioms Containing Hound
To hound someone: To relentlessly pursue, pester, or harass a person.
News hound: A journalist who is particularly aggressive or persistent in pursuing a story.
Glory hound / Publicity hound: A person who avidly seeks fame, attention, or public recognition.
Hound dog: A term, often used affectionately or dismissively, for someone who seems sad, lazy, or mopey; it's also the name of a category of dog breeds.
Release the hounds: A phrase used humorously or dramatically to mean unleashing an attack or a powerful force.
Run with the hare and hunt with the hounds: To try to support both opposing sides in a conflict to your own advantage.
Hell-hound: A mythological demon in the form of a dog; used metaphorically to describe a particularly vicious person or entity.
The Hound of Heaven: A literary phrase describing God's relentless, loving pursuit of a soul, from a famous poem by Francis Thompson.
Vocabulary-Based Stories from SEA
Source Information
Definition of hound from The Academic Glossary at Self Exploration Academy, a Urikville Press Publication. © All rights reserved.
