🦌 To chase animals 🦌 Animal pursuit 🏃 To chase someone 🔍 A careful search 🔍 To search 🤠 Hunting club 🚫 To drive out ↔️ To move unsteadily

to hunt

2 8.8

To move back and forth instead of staying steady

verb
/hʌnt/

Specialized

: oscilar

Delicately, she played her controls, hunting along the narrow bandwidth that would show metal, fine-tuning the machines so that even the fringes of the web would work at optimum resolution.

Examples

The airplane hunts for the correct altitude, slightly adjusting its position in the sky.
This would explain the animal's characteristic side-to-side motion of its head while hunting.

Blog text (3)
At a station, the train hunts slightly, seeking static equilibrium.

Academic text (2002)
Hmmm, Horde said the feed valve was hunting a little; that's worth a closer look, she thought.

Fiction book (2002)
As the helicopter hovered, it began to hunt around, stabilizing its flight on the spot.
The system hunts for the best signal while trying to maintain a steady connection.

Synonyms

to sway

vsto hunt

77 2.4

To move slowly from side to side in a gentle rhythm

is specifically the machine movement around a fixed position instead of steady

to wobble

vsto hunt

40 3.8

To move or shake unsteadily from side to side

is steadier in intent, describing controlled movement around a point

to oscillate

vsto hunt

8 6.5

Move back and forth in a steady rhythm like a fan

is the machine motion around a fixed point rather than staying steady

to vacillate

vsto hunt

1 8.4

To move slowly back and forth like a boat or kite

is focused on machines moving around a point rather than vertical waves

to flitter

vsto hunt

1 6.9

To move quickly and lightly, like a small bird or moth

is heavier machine movement around a position rather than light rapid fluttering

to librate

vsto hunt

9.9

Move back and forth a little before stopping

is ongoing motion around a position, not a final slowing movement

to wabble

vsto hunt

8.9

To move unsteadily from side to side

is a more controlled back and forth movement around a fixed position

to wamble

vsto hunt

Archaic

9.9

To move unsteadily while rolling from side to side

is narrower, describing machine motion around a single point rather than weaving

Antonyms

to stabilize

75 4.3

To become steady and stop changing

Idioms

dog in the hunt

Informal

8.2

A person who cares about the result and is actively involved

like a dog in the hunt

Informal

9.6

Very eager and determined to get something

to hunt a white whale

Informal

9.3

To try to reach a very difficult or impossible goal for a long time

to hunt where the ducks are

Informal

6.8

To look for chances where you are most likely to succeed

to run with the hare and hunt with the hounds

Archaic

9.9

To support two opposite sides at the same time

Phrasal Verbs

to hunt down

148 3.9

Search for and find someone or something after a lot of effort

to hunt down

6 4.0

Chase and take wild animals for food or sport

to still-hunt

Jargon

1 9.8

To move quietly and try to catch an animal by surprise

Compounds

witch-hunt

Literature

85 7.7

A campaign to unfairly find and punish people for their beliefs or actions

treasure hunt

16 2.8

A game in which people follow clues to find hidden objects or prizes

thrill of the hunt

3 6.8

A strong feeling of excitement when you search for something or try to get it

deer hunt

1 3.1

An occasion when people chase and kill deer for sport or food

hunt club

1 5.0

A group of people who meet to hunt for sport

canned hunt

1 9.8

A hunt where animals kept in a fenced area are chased and killed for trophies

snipe hunt

Informal

1 9.9

A prank that sends someone to look for something that does not exist

still hunt

Jargon

1 8.1

A way of hunting where the hunter moves very quietly or waits in one spot to surprise animals

Ramsay Hunt syndrome

Specialized

9.1

A rare illness from a virus that causes facial paralysis, ear pain, dizziness and sometimes hearing loss

How Unsteady

to wobble

40 3.8

to hunt

Specialized

2 8.8

to oscillate

8 6.5

to vibrate

91 2.8

Surface Forms

hunt infinitive

hunted past

hunted past participle

hunting present participle

hunts third person singular

Etymology

A helpful way to remember the technical sense of hunt for machines or planes is to think of them 'chasing' the correct position and moving back and forth like someone searching for a target, which is why hunt can mean to move around instead of staying steady.