What does "haunt" mean?
A place at which one is regularly found; a habitation or hangout.
Haunt
/hɔːnt/ noun, verb
noun, verb ·Common ·High school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: A place at which one is regularly found; a habitation or hangout.
- Grammar: haunt is listed as noun, verb.
- Nearest alternatives: hangout, affect, apparition, appear.
- Useful contrasts: avoid, corporeal being, disappear.
- Usage evidence: My past indiscretions are coming back to haunt me.
How to use "haunt"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "haunt" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "haunt" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "haunt" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "haunt" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "haunt" is acting as noun, verb in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "hangout" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.
Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "haunt", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Noun
- 1 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."
- 2 a frequently visited place wordnet
- 3 A ghost. dialectal
- 4 A lair or feeding place of animals.
"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."
Verb
- 1 To inhabit or to visit frequently (most often used in reference to ghosts). transitive
"A couple of ghosts haunt the old, burnt-down house."
- 2 haunt like a ghost; pursue wordnet
- 3 To make uneasy, restless. transitive
"The memory of his past failures haunted him."
- 4 be a regular or frequent visitor to a certain place wordnet
- 5 To stalk; to follow. transitive
"The policeman haunted him, following him everywhere."
Show 5 more definitions
- 6 follow stealthily or recur constantly and spontaneously to wordnet
- 7 To live habitually; to stay, to remain. archaic, intransitive
"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."
- 8 To accustom; habituate; make accustomed to. Northern-England, Scotland, UK, dialectal, transitive
"[…]haunte thi silf to pite [or pitee]."
- 9 To practise; to devote oneself to. Northern-England, Scotland, UK, dialectal, transitive
"Leave honest pleasure, and haunt no good pastime."
- 10 To persist in staying or visiting. intransitive
"I haue charg’d thee not to haunt about my doores:[…]"
Example
"My past indiscretions are coming back to haunt me."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "haunt"?
Common synonyms include: hangout, affect, apparition, appear, appearance, astral.
How do you use "haunt" in a sentence?
My past indiscretions are coming back to haunt me.
How do you pronounce "haunt"?
Pronounced /hɔːnt/.
Etymology
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.