witch-hunt

1. 1.

   searching out and harassing dissenters

   Broaderharassment

   NarrowerMcCarthyism

Questions about witch-hunt

What does witch-hunt mean?

witch-hunt means "searching out and harassing dissenters".

How many syllables are in witch-hunt?

witch-hunt has 2 syllables: witch--hunt. The stress falls on "witch-".

Is witch-hunt a common word?

witch-hunt is banded "Uncommon" — turns up in careful writing rather than conversation. The band comes from how often the word appears in a large corpus of everyday English, not from an editor's impression.