haunt

haunt · noun/verb

imported

Definitions

noun/verb

  1. 1.

    (Of a ghost) to appear habitually in a place or to a person.

  2. 2.

    A place frequented by a specified person.

  3. 3.

    (Of a memory, thought, or feeling) to continually recur to the mind, often disturbingly.

  4. 4.

    To visit a place frequently.

Forms

plural: haunts

Phrases & expressions

  • •
    old haunts — places one used to visit frequently
  • •
    haunt someone's dreams — to appear repeatedly in someone's dreams
  • •
    come back to haunt — (of past actions) to cause problems later

Related words

Antonyms: avoid, forget
See also: frequent, ghost, haunted, haunting
Synonyms: frequent, obsess, torment, trouble

Etymology

From Old French hanter ("to frequent"), of Germanic origin; related to Old Norse heimta ("to bring home"). The supernatural sense developed in English.