thrill of the hunt

noun

The anticipation and excitement experienced while searching for something that is difficult to obtain.

Similar
thrill of the chase

Meanings

noun
  1. idiomaticThe anticipation and excitement experienced while searching for something that is difficult to obtain.

    While stamps vary in price from their street value to the vaulted collectible price for the "Inverted Jenny," which fetched $977,500 at auction, Canupp said his event, which has been held three times a year since 1992, is more about sharing knowledge and the thrill of the hunt than getting rich.

    2011 July 8, “Asheville Stamp and Postcard Show is signed, sealed and delivered”, in Asheville Citizen-Times
    1 more example

    Then, a couple of years ago, Bolle chanced upon a hamper filled with baseball cards at a yard sale. Bolle, 41, bought the treasure chest for $5, and as he was going through the loot, he remembered the thrill of the hunt for cards of his favored Dodgers, and the important role baseball played in his childhood.

    2003 May 8, “It's all in the cards”, in Los Angeles Times, page E38

    Synonyms: thrill of the chase

Synonyms & antonyms

nounThe anticipation and excitement experienced while searching for something that is difficult to obtain.

Similar
thrill of the chase
Cite this entry
APA

thrill of the hunt. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/thrill%20of%20the%20hunt

MLA

“thrill of the hunt.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/thrill%20of%20the%20hunt. Accessed November 5, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “thrill of the hunt,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/thrill%20of%20the%20hunt.

Source: thrill of the hunt on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.