Meanings
nounheadhunting (usually uncountable, plural headhuntings)
plural headhuntings
- uncountableusuallyanthropologyThe practice of cutting off and preserving the head of one's enemy.
The Konyaks are one of Nagaland's 17 major tribes, concentrated in the eastern district of Mon, where such chiefs are known as Anghs. Even today, some older men bear facial tattoos associated with the Konyaks' historical practice of headhunting.
2026 September 25, Zoya Mateen, “From Nagaland to a path to the Oscars: Indian film brings a rarely seen world to global cinema”, in BBC News, retrieved 25 Sep 2026 - uncountableusuallybusinessThe active recruitment of executive or talented personnel.
verb
- gerundparticiplepresentpresent participle and gerund of headhunt
Translations
Chinese Mandarin 獵首 /猎首, 獵頭 /猎头
- 獵首 /猎首 (lièshǒu)cutting-off and preservation of the heads of one's enemies
- 獵頭 /猎头 (liètóu)cutting-off and preservation of the heads of one's enemies
- 挖角 (wājiǎo)active recruitment of executive or talented personnel
French chasse aux têtes
- chasse aux têtescutting-off and preservation of the heads of one's enemies
German Kopfjagd, Headhunting
- Kopfjagdcutting-off and preservation of the heads of one's enemies
- Headhuntingactive recruitment of executive or talented personnel
Hungarian fejvadászat
- fejvadászatactive recruitment of executive or talented personnel
Japanese 首狩り, 引き抜き
- 首狩り (kubikari)cutting-off and preservation of the heads of one's enemies
- 引き抜き (hikinuki)active recruitment of executive or talented personnel
- ヘッドハンティング (heddohantingu)active recruitment of executive or talented personnel
Korean 헤드헌팅
- 헤드헌팅 (hedeuheonting)active recruitment of executive or talented personnel
Russian охо́та за голова́ми, хедха́нтинг
- охо́та за голова́ми (oxóta za golovámi)cutting-off and preservation of the heads of one's enemies
- хедха́нтинг (xɛdxánting)active recruitment of executive or talented personnel
- охо́та за голова́ми (oxóta za golovámi)active recruitment of executive or talented personnel
- охо́та за ума́ми (oxóta za umámi)active recruitment of executive or talented personnel
Cite this entry
APA
headhunting. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/headhunting
MLA
“headhunting.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/headhunting. Accessed November 3, 2026.
Chicago
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “headhunting,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/headhunting.
Source: headhunting on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.