haunt
Trouble someone’s mind repeatedly
To stay in someone’s mind again and again and make them feel bad, worried, or sad.
to haunt [someone] / [someone’s thoughts, memories, dreams]
- The mistake still haunts him whenever he thinks about that day.
- Images of the accident haunted her for years after it happened.
- The question of what more they could have done continues to haunt the survivors.
- Her father’s last words haunt her every time she closes her eyes.
- The decision to lie in court would later haunt his conscience.
- The car crash haunts him every night.
- Her bad choice haunts her, and she feels sorry.
- The war still haunts many people in that town.
- That scary movie scene haunts my dreams.
- His words were unkind, and they haunt me now.
Ghost regularly appears in a place
If a ghost haunts a place, it stays or comes there again and again.
[a ghost/spirit] haunts [a place]
- They say the ghost of a young bride haunts the old hotel.
- Local legends claim that soldiers still haunt the battlefield at night.
- People avoid the house at the end of the road, believing it to be haunted by an angry spirit.
- The ruined theater is thought to be haunted by the actress who died on stage.
- Tourists come from all over to visit the castle said to be haunted by three different ghosts.
- People say a ghost haunts this castle.
- The story is about a ghost that haunts a small house.
- Many tourists visit the old hotel because it is haunted.
- They believe the dead king haunts the tower.
- In the film, ghosts haunt a family’s home.
Visit a place very often
To go to the same place again and again, often for pleasure or habit.
to haunt [a place]
- When he was a student, he used to haunt second-hand bookshops.
- Street musicians and artists haunt the old city square every summer.
- She haunts the same café every morning before work, always sitting at the back table.
- In his youth he haunted jazz clubs, listening for new sounds late into the night.
- Reporters began to haunt the courthouse, waiting for a comment from the lawyers.
- As a child, he haunted the local cinema.
- She haunts the same coffee shop every Friday.
- Tourists haunt the beaches in the summer.
- Writers used to haunt this quiet bar.
- Students haunt the library before exams.
Place someone often goes to
A place where a person or group often goes.
[a/an] [adjective] haunt for [group of people]
- This café has been a favorite haunt of writers for decades.
- We decided to meet at our old haunt near the station.
- The bar is a popular haunt for journalists and politicians.
- During the summer, the beach becomes a regular haunt for local families.
- The park was once a haunt of chess players and storytellers.
- This small bar is their favorite haunt.
- We went back to our old haunt from college.
- The club is a popular haunt for students.
- That park is a weekend haunt for many families.
- This restaurant is a regular haunt for my friends.
Place where a ghost appears
A place where people believe a ghost often comes.
[a/an] haunt of [ghost/spirit]
- The ruined abbey is said to be a haunt of restless spirits.
- Ghost tours take visitors through the city’s most notorious haunts.
- Locals refuse to go near the cliff at night, calling it a haunt of the drowned.
- They turned the old prison, once a haunt of ghosts in local stories, into a museum.
- For horror fans, the village church has become a legendary haunt.
- The castle is a famous haunt of ghosts.
- Tourists visit the town’s old haunts on a ghost tour.
- People say this house is a haunt for many spirits.
- That hotel is a well-known haunt in scary stories.
- We walked past the dark haunt in the forest.
- Base: haunt
- Plural: haunts
- Base: haunt
- 3rd Person Singular: haunts
- Present Participle: haunting
- Past: haunted
a favorite haunt
1Place someone loves to visit often
A place that a person likes very much and goes to many times.
- This riverside bar is a favorite haunt of local musicians.
- The little bakery on the corner became their favorite haunt.
- In college, the library café was my favorite haunt.
come back to haunt someone
1Past actions cause later trouble
If something you did in the past comes back to haunt you, it creates problems for you later.
- His lies eventually came back to haunt him when the emails were released.
- The company’s decision to ignore safety rules came back to haunt it in court.
- Be careful what you post online; it could come back to haunt you years from now.
haunt someone's dreams
1Appear in disturbing dreams repeatedly
To appear again and again in someone’s bad or strong dreams, usually making them feel afraid or upset.
- The image of the sinking ship still haunts his dreams.
- Scenes from the war haunt her dreams every night.
- That terrible accident has haunted my dreams for months.
haunted by the past
1Deeply troubled by past events
To feel strong, continuing pain, guilt, or sadness because of things that happened before.
- He is still haunted by the past and cannot forgive himself for what happened.
- The country remains haunted by the past, struggling to deal with old injustices.
- She seems haunted by the past whenever anyone mentions her childhood.
old haunt
1Place someone used to visit often
A place where someone often went in the past.
- We met at one of our old haunts from university.
- He drove past his old haunts and felt suddenly nostalgic.
- They decided to revisit their old haunt by the river.