headhunting

1 of 2

noun

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

Those aren't the only companies that are replacing online job boards and traditional ads with social media headhunting.

—Danielle Kubes

My 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 noun

a 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

3

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

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

4

: the act or custom of seeking out and decapitating enemies, and preserving their heads as trophies

headhunting

2 of 2

present participle of headhunt

Examples of headhunting in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

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

Word History

First Known Use

Noun

1817, in the meaning defined at sense 4

Kids Definition

head-hunting

noun

head-hunt·​ing

-ˌhənt-iŋ

: the practice of cutting off and preserving the heads of enemies

headhunter noun