haunt

haunt (hônt, hänt; for n. 2, usually hant)

transitive verb

to visit (a place) often or continually; frequent
to seek the company or companionship of; run after
to appear or recur repeatedly to, often to the point of obsession memories haunted her
to be associated with; fill the atmosphere of; pervade memories of former gaiety haunt the house

Etymology: ME haunten < OFr hanter, to frequent < Gmc *haimetan (akin to OE hamettan, to domicile) < *haim, home

noun

1. a place often visited to make the library one's haunt
2. a lair or feeding place of animals
Dialectal a ghost

A retreat
den, resort, headquarters, lair, meeting place, rendezvous, trysting place; see also bar 2, refuge 1, retreat 2.
A spirit
poltergeist, spook, phantom; see ghost 1, 2.

To frequent persistently
habituate, visit often, resort to; see frequent.
To frequent as a spirit
come as a ghost, appear as a phantom, permeate, pervade, rise, float, before the eyes, dwell in, walk, be disclosed, inhabit, hover about, return from the dead, manifest itself, materialize, reappear frequently to after death, visit habitually after death, spook*, ha'nt*.
To prey upon
recur in one's mind, obsess, torment, beset, possess, trouble, weigh on one's mind, touch one's conscience, craze, madden, hound, terrify, bedevil, plague, dwell heavily upon, intrude upon continually, vex, harass, weigh on, prey on, infest, pester, be ever present, besiege, worry, tease, terrorize, disquiet, recur to persistently, frighten, annoy, possess one's mind, cause regret, cause sorrow, molest, harrow, appall, agitate, rack, overrun, sting, nettle, hang over one's head, agonize, unman, drive one nuts*; see also bother 2, disturb 2.

Object

melody: He begins to play, and a stirring, almost haunting melody fills the house.
ballad: They remind a little bit of early Pixies mixing gentle but haunting ballads which suddenly explode into guitar noise.
vocal: Mile's acoustic guitar opens this gorgeous song, with Biz's haunting vocal floating like a sad angel on the breeze!
castle: Dark spooky castles haunted by ghosts - what could be more of a cliche?
soundtrack: Taken with the cinematography, haunting soundtrack and stunning landscapes, the film has am austere, otherworldly air.

Converse of object

revisit: We've had a great time revisiting old haunts, and exploring new places.

Subject

ghost: Dark spooky castles haunted by ghosts - what could be more of a cliche?
specter: I think we're all haunted by the specter of the Holocaust.
apparition: On a more ghostly note, the cathedral ruins of St Andrews are said to be haunted by the apparition of a Gray Lady.
nightmare: Consequently nights at Gillingham were haunted by nightmares of lions ' ( Dorset Year Book 1966/7 p49 ).
guilt: In Act Two, Meier enacted the living nightmare of Sieglinde - she is haunted by guilt and terror - with terrific intensity.

Adjective modifier

favorite: The evening before her departure, she went for a solitary walk, lingering amid all her old favorite haunts.
usual: I personally have been out & about my usual haunts are Lewin Street / White Horse Alley / St Annes Road / Stallard Way.

Modifying Another Word

reputedly: The rooms above the bar are reputedly haunted by a lady, possibly a former occupant of the Inn.

Preposition: of

smuggler: The area is surrounded by the mysterious Romney Marshes, past haunt of smugglers.

Preposition: by

ghost: Dark spooky castles haunted by ghosts - what could be more of a cliche?
specter: I think we're all haunted by the specter of the Holocaust.
apparition: On a more ghostly note, the cathedral ruins of St Andrews are said to be haunted by the apparition of a Gray Lady.
nightmare: Consequently nights at Gillingham were haunted by nightmares of lions ' ( Dorset Year Book 1966/7 p49 ).
guilt: In Act Two, Meier enacted the living nightmare of Sieglinde - she is haunted by guilt and terror - with terrific intensity.

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