headhunt·ing
ˈhed-ˌhən-tiŋ 
variants
or less commonly head-hunting
or head hunting
1
: the act or practice of recruiting personnel and especially executives or elite talent in a field
Headhunting, once a niche activity to fill high-end roles, has gone mainstream.—
Lorraine Donoghue
Lorraine DonoghueThose aren't the only companies that are replacing online job boards and traditional ads with social media headhunting.—Danielle Kubes
Danielle KubesMy business of executive search—or head-hunting, as it is commonly known—basically boils down to this intangible notion of "fit". … Head-hunters are paid to spot it and when they do it can produce remarkable results.—Ed Brophy
—often used before another nounEd Brophya headhunting firm
headhunting services
2
: an attempt or effort to deprive usually political enemies of position or influence
I'd like to be able to say that we don't see headhunting in the Department of Justice.—Bill Barr, quoted in The Washington Post
Bill Barr, quoted in The Washington Post3
sports
: the practice of physically intimidating or harming one's opponent
His highlight reel now offers a reminder of the even more intense dangers players used to face, before rule changes brought an end to sanctioned headhunting, but it also showcases displays of outrageous nerve.—Robert O'Connell
Robert O'Connell
especially
: the deliberate targeting of the batter's head by a baseball pitcher : the practice of throwing a beanball
Baseball allegedly has adopted a new, get-tough policy against headhunting that allows the umpire to toss a pitcher without warning. —Gerry Callahan
Gerry Callahan 4
: the act or custom of seeking out and decapitating enemies, and preserving their heads as trophies
headhunting
2 of 2present participle of headhunt
Examples of headhunting in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Lee Hyo-Won, WWD, 19 Sep. 2024
The business mode is mostly filled with one-person tech companies selling their side hustle or headhunting.
—PCMAG, 6 May 2024
The ultimate in household head-hunting is to hire the headhunters themselves.
—Mark Ellwood, Robb Report, 12 Sep. 2024
Conflict may have brewed between the two groups, perhaps related to trade, head-hunting or slavery.
—Christopher Parker, Smithsonian Magazine, 20 June 2023
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Noun
The 44-year-old owns and runs a headhunting firm, but began modeling three years ago to continue longtime human rights efforts such as promoting gender equality in the workplace.
—Lee Hyo-Won, WWD, 19 Sep. 2024
The business mode is mostly filled with one-person tech companies selling their side hustle or headhunting.
—PCMAG, 6 May 2024
The ultimate in household head-hunting is to hire the headhunters themselves.
—Mark Ellwood, Robb Report, 12 Sep. 2024
Conflict may have brewed between the two groups, perhaps related to trade, head-hunting or slavery.
—Christopher Parker, Smithsonian Magazine, 20 June 2023
Dictionary Entries Near headhunting
Cite this Entry
“Headhunting.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/headhunting. Accessed 28 Nov. 2024.
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