witch-hunt

also witch hunt (wĭch′hŭnt′)

An investigation carried out ostensibly to uncover subversive activities but actually used to harass and undermine those with differing views.

witch′-hunt′er n.

witch′-hunt′ing adj. & n.

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:

Noun

witch-hunter - someone who identifies and punishes people for their opinions

persecutor, tormenter, tormentor - someone who torments

Mentioned in

References in periodicals archive

| CORONATION STREET'S Charlie Condou, pictured, is to play witch-hunter Reverend Hale in the 2017 tour of writer Arthur Miller's American classic The Crucible.

SHOW BUZZ

For starters, it's uncertain where our noble witch-hunter, Kaulder, actually comes from: Based on scant evidence in the pre-credit prologue, let's say it's the little-remembered European land of Snowsylvania, though eight centuries has been long enough for him to adopt Diesel's signature gravelly drawl.

The Last Witch Hunter

He says: "Witch-hunter Matthew Hopkins had a big stick with a nail which retracted when touched.

When worshipping the Devil (or the Pope) was a burning issue

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