headhunt

English

Etymology

Back-formation from headhunter.

Pronunciation

• (General American) IPA^(key): /ˈhɛdˌhʌnt/

Verb

headhunt (third-person singular simple present headhunts, present participle headhunting, simple past and past participle headhunted)

1. (transitive) To cut off, and preserve, the heads of one's enemies.
2. (intransitive) To actively recruit executive personnel.
3. (baseball, intransitive) To pitch at a batter's head.

   There's a brawl on the field because the pitcher has been headhunting throughout the game.

4. (ice hockey, transitive) To use one's hockey stick to strike an opponent's head.

Alternative forms

• head-hunt

Derived terms

• headhunter
• headhunting