manhunt
B2Neutral to formal, most common in news, police, and military contexts.
Definition
Meaning
An extensive, organized search for a person, especially a criminal or fugitive.
A large-scale, intensive effort to find someone or something (e.g., in a competition or historical discovery).
Linguistics
Semantic Notes
Primarily refers to a coordinated, often urgent search involving many people. Can be used metaphorically.
Dialectal Variation
British vs American Usage
Differences
Usage is identical in meaning and frequency. No significant spelling or syntactic variation.
Connotations
Strongly associated with law enforcement or military operations in both varieties. Carries a sense of urgency and scale.
Frequency
Equally common in both dialects, primarily in news media.
Vocabulary
Collocations
Grammar
Valency Patterns
[Subject] launched a manhunt for [Object].A manhunt is underway for [Object].The manhunt [Verb: ended/spread/focused].Vocabulary
Synonyms
Strong
Neutral
Weak
Vocabulary
Antonyms
Phrases
Idioms & Phrases
- “(all) hands on deck (during a manhunt)”
- “a needle in a haystack (contrasting a failed manhunt)”
Usage
Context Usage
Business
Rare; metaphorically for a search for a top executive.
Academic
Used in criminology, history, or media studies texts.
Everyday
Used when discussing major news stories about fugitives.
Technical
Standard term in law enforcement and military jargon.
Examples
By Part of Speech
verb
British English
- The police are manhunting the suspect across the moors. (Rare, journalistic)
American English
- Federal agents are manhunting the escaped convict. (Rare, journalistic)
adjective
British English
- The manhunt operation involved helicopters. (Attributive use)
American English
- It was a major manhunt alert issued by the FBI. (Attributive use)
Examples
By CEFR Level
- The police started a big manhunt.
- After the prison break, a massive manhunt began in the surrounding area.
- The international manhunt for the fugitive lasted several months before his capture.
- The controversial manhunt, which involved drones and thermal imaging, raised significant privacy concerns.
Learning
Memory Aids
Mnemonic
MAN + HUNT: Imagine a hunt specifically for a man (person).
Conceptual Metaphor
THE PURSUIT OF A TARGET IS A HUNT.
Watch out
Common Pitfalls
Translation Traps (for Russian speakers)
- Avoid direct calque "охота на мужчин" (hunting for men).
- Not "поиск" for a simple search; "массовые поиски/облавa" is closer.
- Do not confuse with "Männerjagd" (German false friend).
Common Mistakes
- Using it for a simple search (e.g., 'I'm on a manhunt for my keys').
- Spelling as two words: 'man hunt'.
- Using it as a verb (it's primarily a noun; the verb is 'to hunt for someone').
Practice
Quiz
In which context is 'manhunt' LEAST appropriate?
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes, despite the etymology, it is used gender-neutrally for any fugitive in modern English.
Yes, it is a closed compound noun (written as one word).
A 'manhunt' implies a large-scale, organized, and urgent pursuit, often by authorities, while a 'search' can be any act of looking.
It is almost exclusively a noun. The verb form ('to manhunt') is very rare and considered non-standard or journalistic. Use 'to hunt for' instead.