hound

A dog or an eager seeker

A hound commonly means a hunting dog. Hounds include dogs that track by scent and dogs that pursue by sight.

Informally, the word can also describe a person who avidly seeks or collects something. An autograph hound, for example, is eager to obtain signatures.

What does it mean to hound someone?

To hound someone is to pursue them persistently or keep bothering them. In everyday figurative use, it often suggests that the attention is unwelcome.

You can hound someone for an answer, or describe someone as being hounded by callers. The word suggests repeated pressure rather than a single polite request.

Hound someone out of a job or place

This expression adds a result: pressure forces the person to leave. It is more specific than saying that someone was hounded.

Hound, canine and poodle

Canine is a broader dog-related word and can also name a tooth. Poodle names a particular dog breed. The words overlap in animal contexts but have different figurative uses.

Hound comes from Old English hund, which meant a dog generally. Its meaning later narrowed toward dogs used for hunting. The verb developed from the noun, with persistent pursuit becoming a figurative use.