haunts; haunted; haunting
1
of a ghost
: to visit or live in (a place)
Spirits haunted the house.
Some people believe that the ghost of an old sea captain haunts the beach.
2
: to eventually cause problems for (someone) as time passes
If you ignore the problem, it will come back to haunt you.
Their failure to plan ahead is now coming back to haunt them.
3
: to keep coming back to the mind of (someone) especially in a way that makes the person sad or upset
The tune haunted me all day.
He was haunted by his memories of the war. [=he could not forget his memories of the war]
4
: to visit (a place) often
She spent much of her vacation haunting bookstores and antique shops.
plural haunts
: a place that you go to often
The restaurant became one of her favorite haunts.
I went back to visit my old childhood haunts. [=the places I often went to when I was a child]
Cite this Entry
“Haunt.” Merriam-Webster.com Simple Definition, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/simple/haunt. Accessed 8 Apr. 2026.
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