witch-hunt

/หˆwษชtสƒhสŒnt/

IPA: /W IH1 CH AH0 N T/

noun
  1. 1

    A search for people believed to be using sorcery or harmful magic, especially in order to punish them.

  2. 2

    An attempt to find and publicly punish a group of people perceived as a threat, usually on ideological or political grounds.

  3. 3

    A public smear-campaign against an individual.

Source: https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/witch-hunt