witch-hunt

English - Turkish

Definition of witch-hunt in English Turkish dictionary

büyücü avı

sindirme harekâtı

English - English

Definition of witch-hunt in English English dictionary

A search witches, persons believed to be using sorcery or harmful magic, in order to persecute and typically kill them

A public smear-campaign against an individual

An attempt to find and publicly punish a group of people perceived as a threat, usually on ideological or political grounds

searching out and harassing dissenters

disapproval A witch-hunt is an attempt to find and punish a particular group of people who are being blamed for something, often simply because of their opinions and not because they have actually done anything wrong. an attempt to find and punish people in a society or organization whose opinions are regarded as wrong or dangerous - used to show disapproval

manhunt against opposers

Related Terms

witchhunt

Another spelling of witch-hunt

Etymology

() * witch + hunt * The verbal noun witch-hunting in the literal sense from 1640, the metaphorical sense from 1932, popularized during the Cold War anti-Communist hysteria in the USA. : The noun witch-hunt itself in the literal sense dates to 1885, in the metaphorical sense to 1938. The sense of a campaign against a single individual dates to 1960 (OED).