French Conversation · Level 130
46 words
French word
hanter
Pronunciation
IPA/ɑ̃te/
Meaning
- verbhaunt
Example
Ce souvenir me hante encore.
That memory still haunts me.
More examples
Cette chanson me hante toute la journée.
This song haunts me all day.
Core concept
A shadow keeps returning to a person's mind or to the same place, refusing to fade or leave.
Common phrases
hanter quelqu'un
haunt someone
Similar words
obséder: To keep intruding on the mind and disrupt focused thought.
tourmenter: To inflict severe emotional pain through worry or remorse.
préoccuper: To occupy the mind with a troubling concern.
ronger: To gnaw away at the mind through mounting anxiety or guilt.
Definition in French
Faire revenir sans cesse une image, une idée ou une inquiétude dans l'esprit d'une personne, ou fréquenter un lieu de manière persistante.
Word origin
French hanter comes from Old French hanter, originally meaning to frequent or stay in a place, and developed the figurative sense of persistently occupying a person's mind.
Usage tips
- Hanter quelqu'un takes a direct object, so Ce souvenir me hante uses me rather than a phrase with a preceding à.