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witch hunt
[ wich-huhnt ]
noun
- (in historical use) the investigation, trial, and punishment of alleged practitioners of witchcraft.
- an intensive inquiry, originally or purportedly to discover and expose dishonesty, subversion, or other wrongdoing, the scope and conclusions of which often include and bring harm to innocent persons or their reputations through reliance on hearsay or circumstantial evidence.
verb (used with object)
- to subject to a witch hunt:
The defendant claimed he was being witch-hunted due to his political activism.
witch-hunt
noun
- a rigorous campaign to round up or expose dissenters on the pretext of safeguarding the welfare of the public
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Derived Forms
- ˈwitch-ˌhunting, nounadjective
- ˈwitch-ˌhunter, noun
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Other Words From
- witch hunter noun
- witch-hunting adjective noun
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Word History and Origins
Origin of witch hunt1
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Example Sentences
In her mind, the entire ordeal was a witch-hunt led by the local authorities.
Likewise, pressure must be placed on Egypt to abandon its witch hunt of the Muslim Brotherhood.
DeLay dismissed the charges against Perry as a political witch hunt.
Some have dismissed the charges as nothing more than a partisan witch-hunt.
Legal proceedings are about process; so is The Witch-Hunt Narrative.
Nor were the police and the press the only perpetrators of this modern witch hunt.
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