noun Internet Slang

witch hunt

· noun · internet

A mob effort to name, shame, and harass a specific user.

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Definitions

1

On Reddit specifically, a coordinated campaign to identify, dox, or mass-downvote/harass an individual user — usually after they did something the mob considers heinous. Site rules ban it outright, which is why drama subs scrub usernames from screenshots.

“Mods locked it before it turned into a full witch hunt against OP's ex.”
by community
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2

More broadly, any pile-on that the speaker thinks is disproportionate or based on flimsy evidence. Politicians love this one when investigations land near them.

“He's calling the entire fraud probe a witch hunt, which is what he always says.”
by community
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witch hunt In A Sentence

Mods locked it before it turned into a full witch hunt against OP's ex.
He's calling the entire fraud probe a witch hunt, which is what he always says.

Origin & Usage

Old English idiom (literal witch trials → McCarthyism → online) repurposed by Reddit's site-wide rule against 'witch hunts' — coordinated pile-ons targeting a named user.

Variants witchhuntwitch-hunt
Tags #reddit#moderation#harassment#internet

People Also Ask

What does "witch hunt" mean online?

It's a mob effort to name, shame and harass a specific user.

How do you use "witch hunt" in a sentence?

"Mods locked the thread to stop it turning into a witch hunt."

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