1. to recruit talented employees from other companies, especially for executive positions
Usage: business
2. to practice headhunting by taking and preserving human heads as trophies
Usage: historical; anthropological

Examples

• The tech company hired a firm to headhunt experienced software engineers.
• She was headhunted by three different investment banks.
• The recruiting agency specializes in headhunting for Fortune 500 companies.
• He left his job after being headhunted by a competitor.
• Certain tribes in the region were known to headhunt their enemies.
• Anthropologists studied the cultural practices of headhunting societies.